In Nine Days
by cutecrazyice
Summary: “Then prove it! Prove it to me in nine days!”. It was that, or run around naked in Konoha. Of course making the Uchiha fall in love with her was easier...right? SasuSaku
1. Prologue

**Prologue: The Bet**

They were both drunk when they made the bet.

"_Forehead, he's been back for two years—_two _freaking years, and you still haven't done anything. Not a _single_ thing. If I didn't have my Shikamaru already, I would be on him in a minute. Why aren't you doing _anything??"

_There was a hiccup, as the blond-haired, blue-eyed, sexy kunoichi took another gulp of her sake, and turned to her long-time best friend (and yes, one-time rival). She eyed the girl beside her critically._

"_Oh, my Kami...are you still in love with him??"_

_The pink-haired, green eyed, slender kunoichi (she wasn't as sexy as the other, but she had subtle curves, nevertheless) looked alarmed at the statement, giving out a hiccup in turn. She shook her head emphatically._

"_No—of course not!"_

"_Then prove it!" the blond yelled, challenge vibrating in her drunken voice. "Prove it to me in nine days!"_

"_I will!"_

"_Okay, then—make out with him! Make him want you! Need you—even love you!"_

"_How the hell does that prove that I'm not in love with him, Pig?"_

_Silence. Then..._

"_Because you will have to leave him in the end."_

A stupid bet. A stupid, stupid bet.

And Haruno Sakura knew she wasn't going to back out of it.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It wasn't pride. She _knew _it wasn't pride. It was just that when she had finally become sober, Ino had come to her door, demanding that she uphold her honor and not back out of the bet—because if she so much as dared, the punishment would be that she run around Konoha for one whole day.

Naked.

And then, to top it all off, she had to scream at the top of her lungs that she was a loser, too.

She remembered Gai challenging Kakashi the same thing one year ago, and fortunately, Kakashi had won that. But the image of a losing Gai running around naked was still fresh in her mind, and it kind of...well, made her sick. Ugh.

She was so not going to do that.

Maybe there was a way to talk her way out of this.

"Listen, Ino," Sakura started, after having drunk her first cup of coffee for the day (it was her only cure for hangovers), "About last night...maybe we—uh—you know...overdid it...the bet, I mean..."

Ino remained silent—a rare occurrence which had Sakura rambling.

"I mean, it's not like it's that big a deal...my word is good enough, right? And it's a stupid bet, anyway, it's childish and immature and I'm sure we're both too grown up to even bother dwelling in stuff like that, if you know what I mean. And I swear—"

"I'll sleep with Lee if I lose, Forehead. Or Gai-sensei. Or Jiraiya."

It was too surprising to even process.

Sakura stared at Ino, a look of shock on her face. Ino looked determined, and a bit shocked at what she'd just said, too—it was obvious she had blurted the whole thing out, probably without thinking first.

Ha. Typical Ino.

But however tempting it was, it really wasn't enough. Sakura sighed.

"Sorry, Ino, but—"

"And I will run around naked, too. For _two_ days. With the sign 'pervert' painted all over me. And screaming 'Sakura is the best' at the top of my lungs."

And there it was. The magic key.

Call her crazy, but somehow, _that_ she couldn't resist.

Okay, so maybe it _was_ pride. Darn it.

Stupid, stupid pride.

But who wouldn't want her best-friend-but-sometimes-rival-still to have a dose of her own mischievous medicine?

Ino _so_ deserved it.

When the blond kunoichi left that day, with the deal shaken with firm hands (she didn't deal Ino into sleeping with those guys anymore, because that was too much, and she knew Shikamaru would get hurt if he so much as found out his girlfriend actually proposed that), Sakura simply sat on her cozy kitchen chair, tracing distracted patterns on the old wooden counter. Waiting for her second batch of coffee to brew. Letting time fly by.

And of course, thinking of how _stupid_ she was. Yes, it was pride.

But how the hell do you win such an impossible bet anyway?

It wasn't the leaving-him-part that was a problem—no, of course not. She was being honest with Ino when she said she wasn't in love with him. She never was. It was just infatuation, and it had, in a way, died years ago. As for leaving him...well, he was Mr. Unemotional. It wouldn't exactly bother him or anything like that.

The problem was something else.

How could she make Sasuke want her—need her—_love_ her, if until now, he didn't even so much as acknowledge her worth? Or worse, treat her as an equal?

To him, she was just some comrade—maybe one who could be easily replaced. The only thing that mattered to him was his training, his friendship with Naruto, and proving he was worthy to be welcomed back as a ninja of Konoha once again.

She was nothing to him. And she had long learned to accept that.

When nothing came to Sakura's usually brilliant, strategic mind, she let time fly by more, and let her thoughts wonder. Wonder, until she felt her brain grow sleepy again. Until her head dropped on the counter, and her eyes were all but ready to close.

Until suddenly, out of the blue, she remembered the one thing Sasuke was. And the one thing his kind always, _always_ wanted. Needed.

With a snap, Sakura instantly became alert once more, the answers finally processing in her brain.

He was a man.

And men needed...sex.

And when you came to think of it, great sex made you want more. Wanting more made you need.

And needing might make you...love.

It was a long shot, but it happened. It did, there was no denying that.

Sakura's eyes widened, as she realized exactly what she had to do. Exactly what was on stake.

Exactly how she was going to win.

She was going to have to seduce him.

Mr. Ice Cube himself.

And she had only nine days to do it.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Neh...teme?"

Silence.

"Your fangirls are following you again."

Still silence. Then...

"...i know, dobe."

There was a grunt, then a blue-eyed glare—which, of course, the onyx-eyed receiver ignored, like he always did. Uzumaki Naruto sighed, scratching his head.

"Can't you find a way to get rid of them, teme?"

"They'll keep coming back, dobe."

"Not if it's a good plan," Naruto insisted. He glanced behind him warily, and almost winced at the sight of heart-filled eyes stalking their every move.

And lovingly screaming the most irritating name in the world (at least it was, in Naruto's opinion).

"Sasuke-kun, please go out on a date with me—"

"Sasuke-kun, you're so handsome! You're the best!"

"Sasuke-kun, don't worry! I still love you, even after you left!"

"Sasuke-kun, why don't we go back to my place and have some loving..."

"Sasuke-kun, MARRY ME!"

They kept on coming. Whether it was a shy declaration, or a bold one—or a seductive proposition that sometimes bordered on...well, downright dirty. It was all Naruto could do not to cover his ears and scream back at all of them—he tried that before, and it didn't exactly work.

Maybe something else would.

"Neh, teme...we need to find you a girl."

Raven-dark eyebrows rose at the statement. "Dobe...that's idiotic. And here I thought we were trying to avoid them."

Naruto waved a hand impatiently, not bothering to be shocked anymore that the Uchiha had actually spoken that much words in one sentence. Rare occurrence, yes—but there were, in his opinion, more important matters to ponder on at the moment.

Such as the fact that teme was a bastard, and really shouldn't have that much women falling all over his feet.

_Che._

And they really were annoying, to say the least.

"I didn't mean it like that! What I meant was...we need to find you a _non-_fangirl to get rid of _those_ girls. A pretend girlfriend. You know, to drive them away, knowing that you're...taken."

As his thoughts formed, blue eyes widened. Sparkled.

Then he grinned, showing foxy, almost-sharp teeth.

"And I know exactly who'd be perfect for that."

The grin widened, positively reaching his ears. As onyx eyes stared, only one thought entered Uchiha Sasuke's mind.

It wasn't a grin to be trusted.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**a/n: Well, here it is...the prologue of my new Sasuke-Sakura fic...how do you like it so far? The idea just came to my brain late at night, and I couldn't resist writing it...Well, what do you think of this chapter?**

**Please review!**

**I'm a newbie to the SasuSaku world, and i really do appreciate reviews...so i hope you click that button and review! It gives me an idea if i should continue this story or not... :)**


	2. Seducing a Block of Ice

**Day One**

**Seducing a Block of Ice**

Sakura was eighteen years old, and she was a capable kunoichi with achievements of her own right. She was a jounin, and she had become so through hard work and determination—she was even good enough to be sent on solo missions, though she preferred team missions much more than anything else. Well...depending on the team, of course. Good chemistry always got the job done the easiest.

She was a medic-nin, and a frequent of the Konoha hospital—she worked just under Shizune, and was considered one of the best, when it came to the medical field. The staff was comfortable with her, and the patients loved her, because she was caring, and kind, and managed to cure every single injury with the ease of someone who did so with a compassionate touch. She never let them give up, and always put their hearts at ease with her constant, cheerful smiles and chatter.

She was pretty, too—not as pretty as Ino (who really wasn't pretty, but more like drop dead gorgeous), but pretty enough, in her own way. She had bright green eyes, which often sparkled when she smiled, and which were very, very expressive. She had that shock of pink hair, which, although not as tousled as she would have liked, was unique enough, when you based it on color alone. She had a nice smile, and nice ivory skin...well, nice enough, especially considering she was a ninja, prone to injuries and scars—her healing abilities managed to lessen that. She had slender curves, and a firm body—again, it wasn't like Ino, whose curves were made to make men ogle and women envy. But her figure could turn heads enough (well, at least it did when she dressed not as conservative as she usually did), and she'd been in enough dates to know that men appreciated her as well.

She was a somebody. She'd achieved a lot of things. She'd done so much, to show that she wasn't weak and vulnerable anymore. Heck, she _wasn't _weak and vulnerable anymore. She was tough, she was strong, and she was proud of herself, in more ways than one. She could do anything. _Anything._

Well, except one thing.

How do you...erm, seduce a man, exactly?

"Teme, you are going down!"

"Hn. In your dreams, dobe."

An indignant yell was heard, followed by the clang of metal meeting metal. Feet ran. Breathing heightened, and so did glares.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, TEME!?"

"...are you deaf?"

"DID YOU JUST CALL ME DEAF!?"

More clang of metals. More grunts.

"You are deaf, then."

"I AM NOT DEAF!"

"...dead last, then."

"I AM NOT DEAD LAST! I AM NUMBER ONE! I AM GOING TO BE THE NEXT HOKA—"

Sakura winced, then rolled her eyes, when Sasuke hit the distractedly ranting Naruto with a particularly hard punch—it sent the blond loudmouth flying through the fields for a while, before crashing into a tree and severely cracking it. With a sigh, she let herself fall on the grass in a sitting position, and watched as Naruto staggered out of the forest (yes, he had all but sailed through it), a furious look on his face and twigs stuck to him everywhere.

"YOU...TEME!" he growled, fists in the air and blond hair flying wildly. "YOU TRICKED ME!"

Sasuke merely scoffed, and put his hands in his pockets.

"You let yourself be tricked, dobe."

"I AM NOT A DOBE!"

And the fight went on. It was really was more of a fight than training, and it was something they were all pretty much used to—well, her and Team 7, at least. And probably the Rookie Nine. And the Hokage. And some of the townspeople—

"Sakura? You okay there?"

Sakura blinked—then she blushed, when she realized she was already on her back on the grass and staring up at her ex-sensei, who was perched up on a tree, with his precious orange book in hand. Well, she wasn't exactly staring at him.

She was staring at his book, really—and thinking about the ideas it gave her. The smut, which, since it was now just dangling in his hand, made her catch a glimpse of a picture of a man and a woman inside in a particularly provocative position. There was a kunai in the woman's hand, angled at the man's neck—but there was a pleasured expression on her face, too, as the man's one hand was on her breast, and the other down on—

"Sakura?"

Sakura reddened—instantly mortified when she again realized that she hadn't been staring anymore. She'd been _ogling_.

As if on cue, Kakashi stared at the book, at the picture on it, then at her. Realization dawned on his face, before his visible eye crinkled, and an amused expression overtook it.

"Why, Sakura," he teased, smirking, "If I knew you were into this reading material, I would have given it to you as a gift on your birth—"

"Oh, shut up, sensei!" she snapped, glaring at him. She stood up with a huff, and put her hands on her hips, directing her stare to her two teammates who were still fighting. Did they even know that she was here, just wasting her time while they practiced to become stronger? Did they even care?

Darn it.

She had a bet to win.

"Sensei...can you get them to stop?"

"Why, Sakura...practice time isn't over yet—"

"Are you kidding? Look at Naruto."

Kakashi turned his head to the pair, and he sighed—indeed, Naruto was looking black and blue, and Sasuke wasn't any better.

"Well, I suppose...yo! Break it up!"

Nobody listened. Only more grunts ensued, and the sound of a punch emitting contact to skin.

"...we're gonna have ramen!"

The punching stopped. Sakura tried not to giggle as Naruto came barreling towards where they were, a grin splitting his previously furious face.

"Really? That's so cool, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Dobe."

The raven-haired Uchiha followed suit, an annoyed expression on his face. Sakura studied him from the corner of her eye, observing the bruises that Naruto had inflicted upon him. They weren't as plentiful as the ones Naruto had been given, but they were there, nonetheless.

He wasn't even looking at her. How could she so much as seduce him when he wouldn't even let her...well, flirt?

"Let's fight, Sasuke-kun," she blurted out, almost on impulse. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Naruto gaped in surprise.

Sasuke merely continued ignoring her.

"Neh, Sakura-chan...why would you wanna fight him and not me?" Naruto complained, automatically pouting.

Sakura gave his bruises a pointed look. "Because I could beat you easily in your state." There was a loud "HEY!", followed by an indignant look, which Sakura pretty much ignored. She turned her gaze on the other again.

"Let's fight," she repeated.

A pause. Then a grunt.

"You'll be wasting my time," he said.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. Okay. How was she supposed to seduce a guy who _did_ notice her now...but only because she was _wasting his time_?

And he still wasn't looking at her, by the way.

Slowly, a mischievous spark came in her green eyes. She quickly tried to conceal it.

She gave out a mock sigh. "Well, fine...if you think you're too tired to beat me...oh, well..." With a shrug, she turned away, and continued to walk. She waited, counting in her head.

_Three._

_Two._

-

"Fine. One fight."

Sakura rolled her eyes, but turned back around with a bright smile on her face. Sasuke was gone. And Naruto was still complaining.

"But guys!" he whined, "What about our ramen fest—"

"Later, Naruto!" Sakura chirped. Then, with a poof, she vanished, too, and let her instincts take over, as a plan began to formulate in her mind.

She only hoped it would work.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It took not so much energy for Sasuke to conceal his chakra, even when he was tired—and he had to admit, he was more tired than usual. Even when Naruto got most of the bruises, the dead last loudmouth got a few good punches in, too, which Sasuke could still feel throbbing around in his body. What he needed, he knew, was some healing, and a good bout of relaxation afterwards.

But the girl was being annoying.

Who did she think she was, trying to assume she could beat him?

_Che._

In her dreams, maybe.

He went on alert, when he heard the sounds of approaching footsteps. A hand zoomed in front of him, ready to aim a punch to his face—he easily dodged it, not even bothering to activate his Sharingan. As he jumped in the air, kunais whizzed by. He somersaulted, avoiding them, and landed on his feet in another tree-filled part of the forest.

There were no sounds, except for the chirping birds. So he strained his ears some more.

"I can beat you, you know."

The voice sounded sweet, and it startled him a bit to find that it was breathing just near his ear—though, of course, his face remained emotionless. He jumped away—but Sakura had taken hold of his shoulder before he could, and aimed another punch.

She missed.

The fight got pretty serious from then on, lasting for who knew how long. There were punches, kicks, and jutsus thrown every which way, defense and offense from both sides. Sasuke, knowing the Sharingan was just going to tire him out more, still didn't activate it yet, since he thought it wasn't really needed.

Why use it when he could easily beat her without it?

He used his fireball technique, and let out a mouth of dangerous fireballs towards her panting form.

The replica of Sakura vanished with a poof.

Someone touched his ankle, and pulled him down to the ground with force. Then senbons were embedded on his legs.

The replica of Sasuke vanished, too.

From a tree branch above, hidden from view, Sasuke observed the now empty ground, and tried to gauge her position.

_Whizz!_

More kunais zoomed behind him, in startling speed. Finally activating his Sharingan, he dodged—only to land on a Sakura with fists readied in his direction.

He dodged that as well, and landed gracefully on his feet behind her. He quickly kicked, and sent her sailing across, and crashing into a tree, just like Naruto had. There was a sharp cry, followed by a pained intake of breath.

She didn't poof.

She remained still, crying out in pain, and bleeding violently.

She didn't stand up. Instead, she remained there, sliding down until she was sitting on the ground, clutching her bleeding stomach...wait, was that a _rib _sticking out?

His eyes widened. Cautiously, he approached her.

"Sakura?"

Silence. Only heavy breathing.

Then...

"Sasuke-kun...it hurts," she rasped, her talking sounding painful—though she tried not to let it be heard. Her eyes, however, glazed over. She looked like she was about to pass out any second.

He was on her in a flash, and she looked grateful, despite the pain. He knelt down, touching her wrist.

"Don't move, Sakura," he said, almost gently.

"Thank you, Sasuke-ku—"

Sakura's grateful look turned into a shocked one, when instead of helping her stand up, Sasuke did the last thing she expected.

He stabbed her, making more blood come out.

"You—wha—I can't believe you did that! What if that was really me!"

An angry voice came from behind him, at the same time that the figure he stabbed vanished into thin air. He smirked, and turned his eyes to the vision of Sakura storming towards him, expression determined. Real or not?

Only one way to find out.

He jumped into the air, throwing out senbons, then quickly making hand signals. Fire came into his hands, and he ran towards her, his speed incredible.

She dodged the senbons, and him, jumping up a tree.

The replica of Sasuke vanished.

"Foolish girl."

He stood behind her, and roughly thrust her front into the bark of the tree. He took ahold of her hands, twisting them behind her painfully, and pushing his body to pin her into place. She gasped, and tried struggling. He didn't budge an inch.

"Sasuke-kun, it's really me, let go," she snapped, trying to glare at him sideways.

"You're weak," he said back, almost with a scoff. Then he stepped back, and let her go, deactivating his Sharingan and proceeding to go back to the others. He knew the fight was over, and that he had won. Figures.

He was so wrong.

With lightning speed—and without so much as a warning—he found himself slammed down on the ground, arms and legs pinned at his side. He activated his Sharingan again—then realized that it was useless.

She was pinning him down, body to body, infusing chakra all over her limbs to lend her strength, and keep him in place. Considering her strength, this rendered him immobile, and at the moment it would have seemed that his bloodline technique was the only thing that could help him.

But no.

She had buried her head on the side of his face, thoroughly avoiding eye contact.

They both panted for breath, seemingly tired from the overuse of chakra. The fight with Naruto, along with the fight with Sakura, were taking its toll on him, it seemed. Sure, she still wasn't as strong as him...but when had she become so cunning?

The old Sakura he remembered would have never tried being rough with him.

"I never said I give up, Sasuke-kun...so I win," she whispered, her mouth touching his ear. The contact startled him, but he betrayed nothing.

"You really shouldn't underestimate your opponent," she continued, triumph very clear in her voice. "Just because I never practiced with you guys anymore doesn't mean I _don't_ practice, if you get my gist."

He grunted in reply.

"Fine," he said, trying not to bite out the words. "Now let me go."

Her grip loosened, and she made to stand up, her expression cheerful.

He grabbed her, and pinned her back to the ground. Now she was under him, with his arms trapping hers, and rendering her as immobile as he had earlier been.

She gasped, closing her eyes immediately.

He smirked, and deactivated his Sharingan.

Then he leaned down, near her ear, and whispered back.

"I never said I give up, either."

Silence. Sasuke thought it might have been because she was ashamed, for acting so victorious when all the while, she was the one who had lost in the end.

But it seemed Sakura had a surprise up her sleeve.

Without further ado, she moved her head, turning away from his lips—only to put her own lips near _his_ ear. She breathed, a soft sigh.

Then she gently, slowly began nibbling.

Kissing.

He froze.

"You taste really good," she murmured, into his earlobe. Slowly, her kisses grew, trailing from his lobes, to his skin near the jaw.

He was still frozen.

"Sasuke-kun..." she moaned softly, voice needy. She kept on kissing, kept on nibbling. Something came out, coming in contact with his skin. Something wet and...warm.

It was her tongue.

Abruptly, Sasuke felt something shoot up inside him. His eyes widened, and he loosened his grip. He made a move, as if to disentangle.

"Sasuke-kun..." she moaned again, gripping his shirt and pulling him back. Her grip was like steel. "You really..." Her tongue flickered again, catching the point beneath his neck's pulse. "Shouldn't..." Her mouth roamed once more, stopping at the corner of his own. His mouth tightened. She kept on kissing, licking. His mouth softened...

"Underestimate your opponent," she finished.

Then, before he knew what was happening, he was shoved away, roughly, and down, until his back (his _aching_ back) was into the ground once more, and her chakra was flaring up, in a jutsu that stopped him from using his own.

What the hell kind of jutsu was she using?

Straddling him, Sakura leaned down once more.

"It's my new technique, Sasuke-kun," she hummed, nibbling his ear one more time.

Then a kunai was pointed at his neck, much to his utter shock.

"Sakura-chan! You beat the teme!"

As if on cue, the blond idiot appeared, along with the lazy pervert. There was a gleeful grin on Naruto's, and an impressed smirk on Kakashi's.

Sakura returned the grins, and gave a beam of her own.

Glaring, Sasuke merely pushed her off him.

"Shut up, dobe."

Then he stalked off, and went to ignore the taunts, and the triumphant cheers of one loudmouth who never knew when to shut up.

Damn annoying teammates.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sakura was worried. _And _annoyed that she was worried. Sure, she had beat him (using feminine wiles, she was proud to admit), but she had, quite obviously, pissed him off as well.

How the heck do you seduce someone who was pissed off at you?

She knew a normal guy would have responded to her kisses already—they were quite tempting, even if she did say so herself. Wasn't she moaning on the ground already, and placing her lips near his, with the only thing left was for him to react, and turn his lips towards her, and simply kiss her back?

"Sakura-chan?"

And did he do that? Did he kiss her back, or even so much as react, to what she had done, to what she had put her effort in doing? In planning?

No.

No reaction.

Not one bit.

"Neh, Sakura-chan...are you alright?"

Damn Uchiha. Still emotionless.

_And hormone-less_, Inner Sakura added in a whine.

So true.

With a sigh, Sakura turned her attention back to Naruto, and tried another cheerful smile. "Yes, of course! I just beat the guy, didn't I?"

"You totally smashed him!" Naruto exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air energetically. "You got him so beat that he probably won't talk to you for a week for humiliating him!"

She inwardly winced. Oh, dear.

Now she was more worried than annoyed.

Maybe she shouldn't have taken that approach after all.

"Neh, Sakura-chan, Kakashi...let's go get that ramen now!"

"I have hospital rounds, Naruto," Sakura replied, a bit distracted. Kakashi's eyes merely crinkled—though they were still focused on his orange book.

"But Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined, pouting some more. He took on a puppy-eyed look, making him look utterly adorable.

Kakashi hit him with the orange book.

"Ouch! What was that for, Kakashi-sensei?!"

Kakashi sighed. "Sakura's rounds are important. And for the last time, Naruto...I'm not your sensei anymore. I haven't been your sensei for years."

"But you're still the usual leader of our team missions...and you're OLD!"

Silence.

Rolling her eyes, Sakura waved, and left them to go to her duties.

_Three._

_Two._

-

"OUCH! WHY DO YOU KEEP HITTING ME, SENSEI??"

Sakura giggled, and turned back to glance at them one more time. Naruto was rubbing his head in pain, while Kakashi was simply looking like an innocent bystander, but with an amused expression on him.

"Hey, guys!" she called out, to get their attention. "Are we still on for tonight?"

Naruto stopped rubbing his head, and gave Sakura a big, wide grin.

"Of course, Sakura-chan! We need to have a gathering, you know! And Sai and Yamato-sensei will be there, too!"

_And let's not forget Sasuke-kun._

Knowing Naruto, he'd probably drag the cold ice block of a man before said man could make so much as a word of protest.

"You will come, right, Sakura-chan?" Naruto kept on yelling.

"I'll try!" Sakura yelled back.

Then she turned back around, ignoring the way her ex-sensei whistled, or the way one certain blond loudmouth went on ranting about his most favorite topic once again (aka ramen). As she walked, her mind worked.

As her mind worked, another plan formulated.

She smiled.

Maybe day one was worth one more shot.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**a/n: Well...i bring you chapter 1! I never expected it to be this long (i think it's almost twice as long as the prologue), but i hope you still had fun reading it! I didn't put much detail into the fights, please forgive me for that. I concentrated more on thoughts, and interactions.**

**Anyway...what do you think? Still okay to continue?**

**Please review and tell me! (by the way, thanks for the earlier reviews, guys!)**


	3. It's called Flirting

**Day One**

**It's called Flirting**

He wouldn't have come, because Sasuke knew there were better things to do than hanging out in a stupid pub, and drinking some stupid liquor with some stupid, out-of-this world friends. He could have been at home, resting—he really was tired, and his aching muscles were proof enough of that. Or better yet, he could be training. He had, after all, been _almost_ beaten by a girl, because he had underestimated said girl (and he was tired, and distracted, and he _really_ would have won, had circumstances been different), and had let her off easy.

But Naruto was persistent.

And annoying.

There was really no way to train, or even rest, when your blond, loudmouthed idiot of a best friend would be yelling right at your ear if you even so much as suggested it.

"Hey teme! Over here! Can you see me??"

How could Sasuke not see him, when the guy was all but waving his arms around like an orange bird flapping its giant wings? With a sigh, Sasuke moved forward, hands in his pockets and head down. He really was in no mood, and the fan girls trailing after him the whole afternoon had just added to the annoyance.

-

"_Sasuke-kun, would you please sign my shirt??"_

"_Sasuke-kun, would you please sign my boobs??"_

_(to which Naruto had a massive nosebleed)_

"_Sasuke-kun, please go out with me—"_

"_Sasuke-kun, have sex with me—"_

_(again, another nosebleed episode)_

"_SASUKE-KUN I LOVE YOU!"_

_And the screams went on._

_And one annoying voice in particular._

"_Neh, teme...we really should get on with the pretend girlfriend!"_

_-_

He was _not_ going to have a pretend girlfriend.

Especially not someone so...annoying.

Why couldn't those girls just leave him alone?

"Teme, why are you so slow?? Hurry up now!"

Sasuke merely grunted, and took his time in the leisure walk from the front door of the pub, to the corner where the other was sitting.

It wasn't really a large pub—it was medium-sized, with polished wooden floors, and a pleasant lighting system that got you in the mood for relaxing, and drinking your worries away. There was the occasional smoke and sounds of laughter, and enough people to make you see that the place isn't that crowded, but popular enough to entice more people to hang out in it.

The best thing was, there were no fangirls.

Mostly because he had to jump through roofs to get here, and to avoid them.

_It better stay that way._

When Sasuke finally managed to reach the table where Naruto was situated in, he grimaced, as the blond gave him a hearty slap on the back, and an enthusiastic grin.

"I knew you would come!" Naruto exclaimed, blue eyes sparkling. "I was already about to go to your house to drag your ass here!"

Which, in Sasuke's opinion, was _why_ he came early. If Naruto had dragged him, there would be yelling. And loud chatters. The ear-splitting voice alone would be enough to alert fangirls from a fifty-mile radius.

"Where are they, dobe?" he grunted again, eyes quietly scanning the place.

"Mou, I don't know, teme...but they'll be here in a few minutes! So, don't worry!"

"Hn."

Sure enough, the others arrived, some fifteen minutes later. By others, of course, this meant Yamato and Sai. Sasuke greeted Yamato with his usual grunt, and Sai with a very pointed glare. He never really liked the guy, what's with his all-smiling face and weird, useless comments. He was, in Sasuke's opinion, even worse than Naruto.

Well, sometimes.

Nobody could really beat the blond when it came to the annoying department.

"Say, Naruto...where's Ugly?"

Except for the pink-haired teammate, of course.

And the fact that what just happened earlier wouldn't seem to completely disappear from his mind.

All. Her. Fault.

"I have no idea, Sai," Naruto replied, scratching his head and trying to think. "But she'll be here, she promised, and...wait! _Stop_ calling her ugly! She's not ugly! She's the most beautiful person on the face of the earth!"

Yamato agreed. Sai smiled.

Sasuke merely snorted quietly.

"Teme! That's rude!"

"Hn."

"Don't _hn_ me, because what I say is true!"

It was best, in Sasuke's opinion, to ignore Naruto when he ranted like this. So, he kept on ignoring. And Naruto kept on ranting.

And, as usual, Kakashi was late.

Thirty minutes later, the sake drinks were all around their table (courtesy of Yamato, due to Naruto's constant pestering), ready to be gulped down. Naruto had already proceeded gulping down, and was busy harassing the two to tell a detailed account of their latest adventures. Sasuke ignored all this, and silently brooded into his own drink.

Twenty minutes more, and their silver-haired ex-sensei finally arrived.

"Sensei! You're early!"

To which Kakashi gave an eye crinkle, an "_ex_-sensei, Naruto" reply, and a salute to the others at the table. Then he began to blissfully return his attention to his beloved book. After a few more recounting of adventures, Naruto finally seemed to deem it time to tell them the biggest adventure of the week.

"Hey, guys! Guess who beat Sasuke-teme at training today!"

It wasn't a conversation Sasuke found appealing.

"I assume it wasn't you, Naruto, since you always get your ass beat," Sai said, smiling pleasantly.

"No, it wasn't me, it was—HEY WAIT A MINUTE! I DO NOT ALWAYS GET MY ASS BEAT!"

"Yes, you do, dickless."

"HEY!"

"Yes?"

"YOU—YOU'RE A BASTARD!"

"...I thought Sasuke-kun was the bastard."

"Do _not_ include me in your nonsense," Sasuke muttered, glaring at the two. Sai smiled pleasantly again, while Naruto scowled. Yamato kept on talking to Kakashi. Kakashi kept on nodding, and every once in a while reading his book.

And on the routine went.

Sasuke inwardly sighed. Which was worse, really—a bunch of fangirls pawning over you, or two complete idiots arguing right by your ears?

Maybe he shouldn't have come tonight.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sakura was running late, and it was all because of one very deluded, very loudmouthed blue-eyed beauty.

Yamanaka Ino.

_-_

"_Oi, Forehead—remind me again why I'm letting you borrow my most beautiful dress just so you could seduce the love of your life, therefore making _me _lose a certain, well-thought-of bet?"_

"_...he is _not_ the love of my life."_

_A roll of perfectly bright, perfectly lashed eyes. "Yeah, keep talking. Very likely you'll believe it someday."_

"_Whatever, Pig. And by the way...that most beautiful dress you're referring to? That's _my _dress, sweetie. So...can I have it back?"_

"_...no."_

"_Ino!"_

"_Why should I let you borrow it?"_

"_...because it's mine?"_

"_Hmm. You have a point." A smirk. "So...are you gonna fuck him tonight?"_

_A startled look, then green eyes widening. "Ino!"_

"_What?"_

"_That's such a...crude word."_

"_...you mean fucking?"_

_A huff. "I prefer calling it making love."_

_An unbelieving scoff. "Sakura?"_

"_What?"_

"_You. Are. Delusional."_

_A pause._

"_There's no such thing as love with the Uchiha, Forehead."_

-

She was now a whopping hour and fifteen minutes late—something that she thought only her smut-reading ex-sensei was capable of. With a sigh, Sakura adjusted her dress (she had to settle for an old tank top and skirt, since the Pig wouldn't let her borrow back her own dress), and made sure her hair wasn't in complete disarray—she would have tied it, if she had the time. However, since she didn't, she settled for being satisfied, and went in the pub's front door.

It only took two seconds for her to be found.

"HEY SAKURA-CHAN! OVER HERE!"

With a big grin on her face, Sakura wound her way through the crowd, stopping by occasionally to greet a person or two she knew. Her eyes scanned the table of her destination, and it pleased her to see that her team was complete—there was Naruto, grinning like an adorable madman (he looked a bit drunk already, though she wasn't quite sure about that); Kakashi, eyes crinkling and mask ever-so-present in his face; Yamato, a relaxed expression on his face (he'd always been too stiff and proper for his own good); and Sai, smiling like he had no problems in the world (and looking well-mannered at that, too).

And of course, there was Sasuke.

Brooding into his drink, and completely ignoring her.

Still maintaining the grin on her face, Sakura gave everyone a cheerful hello. Then, she gave out a sigh, and focused her kinda-pleading eyes on Naruto.

"Naruto...would you be kind enough to get me some vegetable sticks from the bar? I really, _really_ am tired from my shift and all I wanna do is rest my feet...oh, and I'm sorry I'm late! I'm really, _really_ sorry..."

That was all it took for Naruto to stand up, and raise both his fists in the air. "Anything for you, Sakura-chan!"

And off he went, eagerly. Still smiling, Sakura gracefully occupied Naruto's now-empty bench-seat position—which so happened to be right beside a certain raven-haired teammate. Their arms brushed, though she didn't do that on purpose.

Well, not _exactly_.

"You look happy today, Sakura," Yamato commented, eyes friendly on hers. Kakashi, hearing this, raised an eyebrow and looked at her as well.

Sakura smiled again. "Oh, I am, Yamato-sensei. It's been a good day so far."

"You're happy because you beat the bastard at training, right?" Sai asked.

Kakashi smirked. Yamato raised two eyebrows. Sai beamed.

Sasuke grunted, and glared at Sai. "She _didn't_ beat me."

Sakura sighed, and slightly glared at Sasuke. "Yes, I did."

"In your dreams."

"In _reality_."

"You're annoying."

"You're _more_ annoying."

"_Che._"

"Jeez."

They kept glaring at each other, tempers rising—well, at least _her _temper was. The nerve of the guy! Why couldn't he just admit defeat like any normal person would? Fair was fair, and _she_ won, fair and square. His Uchiha pride would be better off accepting that, no questions asked. She inwardly sighed.

How do you seduce an Uchiha you're...erm, currently pissed off at?

Grumbling, she took a cup of sake, and gulped down in excess.

"You know," Sai intoned, looking at the both of them as if in observation, "I read this kind of banter in a book just yesterday. They called it sexual banter. It's supposedly a part of the mating ritual. Does this mean you guys are gonna mate soon?"

At this, Kakashi snickered. Yamato's eyebrows rose higher. Sai looked openly curious.

Sasuke glared harder.

Sakura nearly choked on her drink. She instantly reddened.

"Sakura-chan, your vegetable sticks are here! What did I miss, guys?"

"Well, I was just telling Ugly that—"

"Nothing much, Naruto," Sakura interrupted sweetly, taking the food from him. She gave Sai a threatening look. Then, the threatening look turned to surprise when Naruto sat down on the bench, squeezing by her side—clumsily. As he did, she was shoved to the right, and felt heat so close by her other side; Sasuke's heat, and Sasuke's muscles. They were now so...close.

"Sakura-chan, could you move, I don't fit—"

Naruto kept on squeezing in. He gave one last push, causing Sakura to be shoved again—and this time, to lose her balance. Not ready to fall off, she hugged the nearest thing that she could grab, to steady herself.

It turned out to be one hot, male body.

And, as if on cue, it turned out to be a not-so-good idea.

"Hey, you! Get your hands off our Sasuke-kun!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He had no idea how the fangirls got to find him, but find him they did.

And he knew it wasn't going to be pleasant.

There were still soft hands around his waist, and a warm body pressed close beside him—and he couldn't ignore them, try as he might. It was like she was hugging him, only he knew she wasn't—it was an accident, that he was sure of, and at the moment, there was really only just one person to blame.

"Shit teme...how did they manage to follow you?!"

The dobe was going to be dead. Soon.

"Oh, crap," a female voice piped in, right near his skin. "I think they followed _me_."

Okay, so maybe not just the dobe.

"You let them follow you?" Naruto asked, voice slightly accusing. "Do you know how annoying they are?"

"I _didn't_ let them follow me on purpose!" Sakura hissed, voice irritated. "What am I, an idiot? They must have special tracking skills or something—"

"Hey! I said get your hands off our Sasuke-kun!" fangirl number one shrieked.

"Stay away!" fangirl number two hissed.

"We _knew_ you were gonna harass our Sasuke-kun! We knew it the moment we followed you!" fangirl number three accused.

Then, as if that was the opening statement, the three simultaneously glared.

And stalked towards their table.

"Right. They _didn't_ follow you," Kakashi mused in amusement.

"Shut up, sensei," Sakura growled. Sasuke felt her remove herself from beside him, and he would have sighed out in relief. He would have, if her movement had continued that way.

It didn't.

Instead, she was oh-so-suddenly shoved back to him, even more closely than before. She let out a squeak, nearly falling off again. She gripped.

And, much to his annoyance, her hands reached out—right into his neck.

"Don't move, Sakura-chan," Naruto warned, in a whisper—or at least, a slightly softer version of the blond's too-loud voice (which was still quite loud, by the way). "I have a plan."

"What—" Sakura tried to disentangle again.

Naruto only shoved her harder.

"Stay put. Hug him. Trust me."

Suddenly, Sasuke understood. He understood completely. But, before he could react, the fangirls were on him in a swarm, alternately glaring at Sakura and gazing at him with something akin to lust in their eyes.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, you're looking especially handsome today," fangirl number two cooed, batting her lashes coyly at him.

Fangirl number three giggled. "Stupid. Sasuke-kun is _always_ handsome."

Fangirl number one wasn't paying attention to the two—or to him, for that matter. Instead, her eyes were focused on the girl beside him, and there was something like contempt in them.

"You," she hissed, eyes narrowing. "Pinky. Why are you hugging our Sasuke-kun?"

The body next to him stiffened, and Sasuke knew this was a sure sign that Sakura was slowly losing her temper—again. She made a move to remove herself from him once more, causing him to get a glimpse of her angry, unbelieving face. She stood up.

She never really did like anyone calling her Pinky.

"Well, if you must know," Sakura hissed back, "It isn't—"

"I can't believe you're asking that! Isn't it obvious?!" Naruto interrupted, carelessly pulling Sakura back. Sasuke nearly scowled, when his pink-haired teammate lost her balance again (really, was she always this clumsy?), and ended up falling down.

Right into his lap.

Her body was soft against him, and more pronounced now. Her hands were on his chest, as if undecided whether to push or dig in.

The warmth was slowly seeping in.

He couldn't move.

"What are you talking about?" fangirl number one snarled, eyeing Sakura jealously. The other two fangirls squealed again, protesting that Sakura should get off now, or else they would—

"Duh! She's the teme's girlfriend! She's entitled to hug him!"

They didn't get to finish their sentence.

The three fangirls gaped. Kakashi gaped. Yamato...well, he didn't gape, but he was close to it. Sai beamed. Naruto beamed alongside him.

And Sasuke?

He didn't know what to do.

All he could feel was that Sakura had somehow stopped breathing.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She couldn't breathe. Really, she couldn't.

When she came here tonight, all she was planning to do was get him to talk to her again, and flirt at least a little. It would have, in her opinion, established that at least he wasn't mad at her, and she could get on with a positive outcome to the first day of her challenge.

Never in a million years would she have thought she'd end up in this position—_in his lap—_and in this dilemma; with his heat radiating unto her in waves, and his body making her want to snuggle in just a little bit closer.

And Kami—her _liking_ every second of it.

What the heck was wrong with her??

She should get up, and just forget about all this. There was still day two, and it wasn't like tonight or tomorrow morning was going to make that much of a difference. She _shouldn't_ be liking plastered to him this much, because it was _wrong_, this was only a challenge, and—

"Pinky, you better tell me that's a lie."

Damn if some stupid fangirl was going to get away with that.

Her back stiffened again, and without even realizing it, her hands had now started gripping Sasuke's shirt. Maybe if the fangirl hadn't interrupted, she would have already been off his lap, and would have already proclaimed this as none of her business, because really—it _wasn't_ any of her business. She would have already stalked away, and left him to suffer, and she would have just gone home and slept the stupid night off.

Too bad someone just had to call her Pinky.

She _hated_ that nickname.

Suddenly, Sakura acted without thinking.

She smirked. Her body softened, and molded closer to him. Her hands left his chest, and gripped his wrist—pulling them hard (though subtly), until they rested on her waists...well, one on her waist, and the other on a hip. She looked up at the girls. Smiled.

"Does _this_ look like a lie?"

The fangirls jaws dropped (it should have been funny, really). Kakashi kept on gaping. Yamato really was gaping now. Sai looked amused. Naruto looked shocked (he obviously hadn't expected _that_).

Sasuke stiffened.

Still with a smile, Sakura buried her face into his neck, and spoke into the skin. She closed her eyes.

"Well, you girls should leave now," she murmured, quite softly—but loud enough to be heard. "Sasuke-kun and I have...plans for the night."

Silence.

Sakura started counting in her head.

_Three._

_Two._

_­_-

"ARGHHH!!"

There was a loud, unanimous, girly wail. Then, some choking sounds of disbelief, accompanied by incoherent stuttering. Then, more wails.

And finally, the stomp of feet.

The fangirls were gone.

And everyone at the bar was now silent.

"I read in a book that staring at someone else's personal affairs is highly inappropriate and rude," Sai commented, voice clearly curious. "And look. Everyone's staring. Isn't that rude?"

In an instant, the voices around could be heard again. Conversation resumed.

Naruto snickered.

"Nice going, Sai," the blond remarked.

"What? It was rude, wasn't it?"

Sakura sighed. Her face was still buried in Sasuke's neck, and she didn't know why she wasn't moving. Come to think of it...she didn't know why _he_ wasn't moving.

He surely was mad now...right?

She didn't understand why she had the sudden urge to...well, kiss him. Right there, on that little pale skin on his throat. To kiss him there, and see if he really tasted as good as he smelled.

His fingers suddenly moved. Lightly, so that she was the only one who could feel it. Something in her reponded, heating up. It pooled in her belly, a jolt of unexpected, uncontrollable tingling that had her gripping his wrist tighter, her face pressing all the more into his neck. Her lips started delicately moving on his skin.

She was right. He tasted like he smelled.

All male. Delicious. Her breath quietly hitched.

Hell.

She was so screwed.

"Hey Sakura-chan, teme...you do realize the girls are gone now, so there's no need to pretend anymore?"

Like a dose of cold water to the system, the two quickly disentangled—or rather, Sasuke pushed her off him, until she was plunked down on the hard bench once more.

"Hey!" she protested, more for the fact that he was being rude again. "That was—"

"Shut up," Sasuke growled, glaring menacingly at her. His onyx eyes held for a moment, before settling on Naruto.

The glare turned murderous.

"I'm going home. We train tomorrow," he spat out. Then, like he did that morning, he stalked off, towards the back door, leaving the whole team gaping after him in surprise (well, except Sakura—she was glaring at his back) and mild confusion.

"Crap. He's gonna pummel me tomorrow," Naruto moaned, after a short while.

"He always pummels you, dickless," Sai put in.

"HE DOES NOT! AND DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

"Well, tomorrow's gonna be an interesting spar," Kakashi intoned, chuckling. He went back to his book, eyes filled with mirth.

Yamato sighed, gulping down a cup. Sakura sighed as well, and did the same.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan," Naruto chirped a moment later, after giving Sai a bump in the head. "He's not gonna refuse you. He really,_ really_ hates those fangirls anyway."

"Who doesn't?" Sakura muttered, rolling her eyes.

"But jeez...what the heck was that all about?" Naruto muttered back, scratching his head once more. "You guys are weird."

"I read it somewhere in a book," Sai remarked, smiling once more. "It's called dynamics. But there's another term for it, actually."

"Umm...weirdness?" Naruto guessed.

"Flirting," Sai stated.

"Say another word and I will crush you to the ground," Sakura threatened—although there was no heat in her voice. She was thinking, really—and she didn't like where her thoughts were going.

She wasn't attracted to him. She _wasn't._

She was just drunk (a bit). And confused.

And driven by the bet.

It wasn't lust for him. It was lust for winning.

Yes. That was it.

No harm done.

She wondered why she didn't believe a word of it.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**a/n: Well...chapter 2! I hope you like it. It's long as well, and i'm not sure how it turned out...so please, kindly review and tell me! More excitement on day two, promise!**

**Hmm...so, do you think Sasuke is really as mad as he seems to be?**

**Enjoy! :)**


	4. Pretend, Let's?

**Day Two**

**Pretend, Let's?**

It was a sunny day in the hidden village of Konoha, and at seven in the morning, many people were already bustling about. There was the chirping of birds in the air, and the colorful flowers dotting the fields everywhere. There were shop owners opening up their stores on every corner, and civilians and ninjas alike strolling around, either to go to training, run errands or just dilly-dally. To most people, this was just a typical spring day, with nothing special to do, and no need to hurry.

Sakura was one of those people.

When she woke up that morning, she never really wanted to do anything, except maybe go back to sleep, and have a hearty, delicious breakfast afterwards. Then, read some medical books. Then, tidy up her kinda-messy apartment. She hadn't cleaned it in days, and she knew if she prolonged the cleaning any further, it was soon going to be unbearable to live in. She _hated_ living in messy places, and she knew the time to clean it was today.

But of course, a few more winks were in order.

With a great, big yawn, Sakura stretched her arms in the air, working the kinks out of her muscles. She was pleased to notice that she didn't have a hangover—which was very likely, considering she hadn't really drunk that much last night. It was Naruto who had gotten unbelievably wasted—and had proceeded to yell to everyone within hearing distance (which was quite far, considering his vocal capacity) about the so-called Sasuke-and-Sakura love affair. Sai, having been drunk himself, had actually joined in. It was quite hilarious, really—if _she_ wasn't the topic. But, because she was, she had no choice but to bop them in their ridiculous little heads, and proceed to drag them home (with Kakashi's and Yamato's assistance, of course).

She had a feeling Naruto's little announcement was going to be the talk of the town today.

Not that she minded much.

In a way, she knew it was going to be a big help in her plan of making Sasuke fall in love with her, and winning the bet. True, she didn't exactly know _how_ it was going to help...but she was a smart girl, wasn't she? She could think of something. She could make it to her advantage.

Of course, unless the fan girls murdered her first.

_Let them try, those bitches!_

Ignoring her inner self, as it ranted on and on about ways to torture said fangirls (really, said inner self had such a mean streak), Sakura tried not to think about such complicated nonsense anymore, and shut her mind into oblivion. It was her day-off, and she wanted to spend it with as much relaxation as possible. She smiled to herself, lying back down on the soft mattress. She snuggled comfortably in her covers, sighing. She closed her eyes, her mind now deliciously blank, and the drowsiness coming back. The world was slowly fading away.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

She opened her eyes with a snap.

And snarled at the door.

Okay, so she wasn't really a morning person.

Who was, when the weather was this cozy?

"Ignore it," she muttered to herself, closing her eyes back and snuggling deeper into the blankets. Maybe if she ignored it, the person—whoever the stupid person knocking this early was—would just go away, and assume that no one was home. Or that the resident inside was still asleep. Or—

BAM! BAM! BAM!

—maybe she could just strangle said knocking person.

With a growl, Sakura threw the covers off her body—she immediately shivered, as the morning air swept through her thin, white tank top and soft silk shorts. Placing her feet off the bed, she shivered again, as her bare soles touched the cold, hard floor. She blindly rooted around for her fuzzy slippers, the one with pink little bunny designs on them.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The slippers weren't found. Cursing at her unfortunate luck, Sakura growled some more, standing up on her bare feet, and trying not to let the coldness get through her. She stalked outside her bedroom, shutting the door loudly. She grumbled, as she felt her apartment rattle at the force (it was _her_ fault she was in a not-so-good mood). Sakura had a pretty good idea who was at the door—it had to be either Ino-Pig or Naruto, because no one else visited her place this early...well, except Sai. But the guy always knocked politely, not in a demanding way.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

And the knock on the door was definitely demanding.

Glaring, Sakura opened the front door, and opened her mouth, prepared to give the blond (male or female, it didn't matter) a piece of her mind about disturbing peace and sleeping schedules.

She stopped, as the sight in front of her prevented her brains from functioning, and saying a single word. She turned from glaring to gawking in a matter of seconds.

It wasn't a blond.

And it wasn't Sai either.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

The person standing in front of her doorway had the nerve to remain silent, and look at her with...nothing. No emotions.

It irritated her a _lot._

With another, more severe glare (she had finally stopped gawking), Sakura put her hands on her hips, and huffed righteously.

"Hey, I asked what—oofh!"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, because the next moment, as swift as lighting, Uchiha Sasuke had swept in—and he had taken her in his arms.

Bodies close. Arms entwined.

Lips near to touching.

It was safe to say that her sleepiness had vanished completely.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It wasn't the response Sasuke had expected, but then again, Haruno Sakura had changed so much more from the weakling he had first expected—not that he thought she was stronger than him, by any means (well, okay, except maybe physically). Just strong—_not­_ stronger.

It was a fact, and he was rarely wrong when it came to such things.

Nevertheless, he had never expected her to glare at him, then stare, then gawk, all in a matter of a few moments. Her mouth opened and closed, like a fish taken out of the water. Her eyes turned from sleepy to widened.

Before he could say anything, she opened her mouth again.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

The question was blurted out, in a tone that was something of a cross between bewildered and surprised. She looked pretty weirded out, too—and a bit irritated.

He didn't reply.

Her widened eyes instantly narrowed into a vicious glare.

"Hey, I asked what you were—oofh!"

He didn't let her finish the last sentence. Not because he didn't want to, but because out of the corner of his eye, he was already seeing movements—and said movements were drawing closer, advancing on him. With refined, graceful speed, he swooped in, and took the still-in-sleepwear Sakura in his arms. He molded their bodies close, ignoring her gasp, and the alarmed look coming into her eyes.

Sasuke hugged her, as a man might hug a lover.

She froze. He didn't let go.

"Sasuke-kun...?"

He felt Sakura's hands come up, as if intending to push him away. Not wanting that to happen, because it would ruin the plan, Sasuke did the only thing he could think of—the only thing that wouldn't look the least bit suspicious to anyone watching them from afar.

He took her hands firmly, kissed her fingers one by one. He pulled her closer, hugging her even tighter. Then he leaned down, and put his mouth at the junction of her ear.

It was soft—and he tried his very best to ignore that.

"Don't move. Fan girls are watching us."

He felt her stiffen in his hold—but she didn't budge, nor move.

As if on cue, the voices of girls started around them.

"Waaaah! Sasuke-kun is hugging the Haruno girl! So the rumors are true!"

"But look at her—she isn't hugging him back! Maybe they're going to break up!"

"But he whispered to her! So sweet!"

"Idiot! He's whispering because he's dumping her!"

Immediately, Sasuke felt the girl in his arms stiffen even more. She looked like she was about to get away from his grasp, and about to retort something nasty back to the snooping girls.

He couldn't exactly say he could blame her, but they did have something to maintain here.

"I said don't move, Sakura," he whispered again, so that only she could hear. He placed a hand on her waist to stop her.

"I do _not_ get dumped," she hissed back in his ear. She clenched her palms on his shirt, the irritation clear in her voice.

"I am not dumping you," he shot back, gripping her hips tighter.

"You're not even my boy—"

It couldn't be helped that some of the fan girls were probably ninjas, and could probably read lips. Irritated at the thought, Sasuke put two fingers on her mouth, a silent warning.

To any observer, it looked like a man caressing his lover's lips.

There was a chorus of gasps from somewhere behind the nearby trees.

"He is _so_ not dumping her! It looks like...like he wants to kiss her!"

"Like hell! She has fish lips! He _wouldn't _dare!"

Sakura stiffened again, and this time he looked like he wasn't going to be able to stop her. Not because he didn't want to—but because he knew when Sakura's temper was up, her strength was also up. And her physical strength, however much he tried to deny it, was indeed a volatile thing to mess with.

This was getting annoying.

The truth was, this wasn't even part of his morning routine. When he had woken up, all Sasuke had in mind was to go spar with his big-mouthed best friend—and make sure said best friend was inflicted with as many well-deserved injuries as possible. Then, after the spar, he would train alone some more, then maybe join in the sparring of another team—the one he hadn't seen in days (that is, if they were already back from their mission). Then, he would go back home, meditate, and have some nice, peaceful, simple dinner. Then, sleep.

Too bad _none_ was happening the way he'd planned.

First off, the dobe was nowhere to be seen. That would have been okay, because Kakashi and Yamato and Sai were already there, on their training grounds—on regular days, he would have settled on sparring with either of his ex-senseis, because the two were definitely worthy opponents.

Heck, on regular days, even Sai would suffice—after all, Sasuke loved the thrill of beating the annoying, ever-smiling artist whenever he could.

But, before he could even contemplate about it, something else had suddenly swarmed in on him, something that he also hadn't planned on: fangirls.

To say the least, they had come in legions—all with eager, lust-filled expressions on their faces. And, along with the lust, there was also shock, and a bombarding of questions that centered mostly on the girl that he was now holding in his arms.

He hadn't come here on purpose. He had gone away from the training grounds, to avoid them—but they had followed. He had tried stealth, and basic ignoring tactics, just to dissuade them, to show that he was not interested—but they had followed. He had even tried saying that they leave him alone, to _really_ get the point across.

But. They. Had. Followed.

It seemed that Naruto was right. He needed Sakura to stave them off. Not for real, of course—just pretend. Just to finally let those annoying girls give up, and do something else with their precious time, other than stalking him.

He needed Sakura now.

Dammit.

Why did the dobe have to be right this time?

"You see! They haven't kissed, Sasuke-kun is frozen in place! He must be disgusted because she has _fish-lips!!_"

Snapping out of his thoughts, Sasuke heard something like a snarl come from Sakura—then suddenly, she was starting to push him away. If she did that, he had the feeling she would blurt out something out of temper—and in blurting, she would probably blow their cover away. He couldn't let that happen, because when it came to a choice between stalkers and Sakura, he would prefer her (however annoying she still was, in her own way).

He had to stop her before she could do the blurting.

With a sigh, and an inward grumble, Sasuke did the only thing that came to mind at the moment. He pulled her back, into him.

Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

There were gasps and more indignant yelling in their surroundings, but Sakura couldn't understand a word they were saying. She couldn't hear them.

The roaring in her ears prevented her from doing so.

The truth was, she should have been prepared. Uchiha Sasuke was a smart man, and she knew, as a smart man, he wouldn't be one to deny the gossip now circulating around their beloved village. Sure, he would be annoyed at first—something which he had already shown, when he oh-so-rudely pushed her away last night. Eventually, she knew he would see the sense in what Naruto was saying. Eventually, she had a feeling he would come find her, and, in his own emotionless appeal, find a way to make her think he was doing her a favor by letting her participate in the plan. Yes, that was Sasuke for you—full of pride to the very end. Sakura knew, she _knew_, she should have been prepared.

But she wasn't.

She wasn't prepared for his mouth to be on hers, and for her to feel nothing but...him.

And wonder.

And...hunger.

Her lips tingled, in a way she didn't want them to. His lips were kissing hers, but not really—they were just there, warm on hers, and soft. Hard. It was a direct contrast, one she couldn't understand. Her own lips were closed, and there was no tongue involved. On the outside observer, it was believable enough to convince them that they were indeed lovers, and that this was indeed a kiss of passion—his possessive hands on her waist and their intimate position were enough proof of that. But the kiss...it was nothing. No movement. Nothing. Their lips were just...there.

So why, instead of just her lips, was her whole body tingling now?

And why did she suddenly have this want to...open her mouth and let him kiss her deeper?

To let his tongue come in, and conquer?

Their eyes were on each other. One shocked, one expressionless. His onyx eyes were dark, and darkening.

She couldn't seem to look away.

Suddenly, before she could think of anything else, his lips moved—slow, and subtle. But she felt it.

Her lips moved back.

And her eyes fluttered close.

She felt fire racing through her skin, and it took her a moment to realize that his hands had started moving. Those warm, big hands. His body was closer, the heat radiating in waves, and making her feel something she couldn't understand, much less try to analyze. Her breath hitched.

Slowly, his lips continued moving.

Their mouths were still closed, but a sound from her throat was coming...

"Oh, my...is she moaning??"

"He is _kissing_ her! How could my Sasuke-kun kiss her!"

"Is she pushing her breasts against his chest?"

"...his hands are coming closer to her breasts! It's—"

SLAM!

It took Sakura a moment to realize that there was a loud bang, followed by her back being gently pushed against a wall. His mouth had disentangled from hers, but his hands were still on her skin. Every part of her body was now...aching.

Slowly, Sakura opened her eyes. She stared.

Onyx eyes stared back, revealing nothing.

His mouth was only inches away from hers.

His hands were just below her tingling breasts. Just below, and if he only moved them, up...just a little more...

She stared. He stared back.

Then he abruptly, quickly moved away.

"That was close. You were being stupid as always."

It took Sakura a moment to understand, due to the loud pounding of her heart, and the incoherent thoughts and images in her head. After understanding, it took her another moment to realize, exactly what he meant. Her eyes widened.

It was, to say the least, enough to shatter her temporary dazed state of bliss.

With a shocked look, Sakura's jaw dropped.

"Wha—I—what are you talking about?" she blurted out. "First off, you kissed me without my permission—"

"You were about to blow the cover," he interrupted, "That's what I said about being stupid."

She gaped. She gawked.

Then she glared.

"Blow our cover?!" she hissed, pushing herself off the wall and coming to stand in front of him. "_What_ cover?! _You_ kissed_ me_, remember?"

"You started it. Last night."

"I—it was Naruto who started it!"

"It _wasn't_ Naruto who slid into my lap."

"I—it was Naruto—"

"Or snuggled to me."

"I—"

"Or confirmed to those girls that you are my girlfriend."

"Fine!" she snapped out, then looked taken aback when he gave her a warning glance. Glaring back, she lowered her voice so only he could hear. "Okay, so I got riled up! Your fangirls insulted me, what did you expect me to do?"

"I don't care, Sakura," Sasuke replied, sighing. He gave her an annoyed look.

"Listen, if you don't like—"

"But you can't back out of this."

"—this I...what?"

"You heard me."

He gave her another annoyed look. She glared back. Glared, until he glared back at her, and irritated gaze met irritated gaze. Glared, until he stopped glaring, and simply looked at her with a silent challenge.

Glared, until she realized that she still had a bet to win...and glaring at him wasn't exactly helping.

With a sigh, Sakura stopped glaring. She forced herself to calm down, and to forget about the tingling, and the kiss, and everything that came with it. It was _nothing_. It was just a ploy. An act. It shouldn't even bother her.

So why was it bothering her, then?

_Because you have the hots for him, you stupid girl!_

She. Did. Not.

She did not!

Ignoring her inner rantings once again, Sakura sighed once more.

Then she stared him in the eye, and gave in to her resolve.

"I have a proposition."

He remained silent.

Slowly, Sakura continued. "I'll agree on the pretend thing, to drive your stupid fangirls away—but on one condition."

Silence. Then...

"What?" he grunted.

"...it will only be for eight days. After that...no more. It's over."

_Meaning I break up with you._

Silence again.

She really thought he was going to say no.

"As long as you know it's pretend."

It was another shock from the Uchiha.

Jeez—was he really this desperate to get rid of his lovely fans?

"Of course I know it's pretend!" she said with a scoff. Then, realizing that it was quite amusing (he really was too arrogant for his own good!), she finally smiled (there was no sense in holding a grudge, really).

He didn't smile back. He only looked more irritated.

"Don't worry, Sasuke-kun—I'm not going to fall in love with you," she assured, the smile growing wider. "You can trust me on that."

_I'll only make you fall in love with me_.

"...so, is it a deal?"

A pause. A very long pause.

Then...

"Hn."

It was a yes, in his vocabulary.

It looked like she had a chance at winning after all.

Now all she had to do was convince Ino he had fallen in love with her, and all was well. Of course, that meant having to work on getting him to be affectionate with her—an impossible task, if she thought about it. This was, after all, the mighty Uchiha. He _never_ was one for affection.

_Well, except for that kiss just earlier..._

Her lips tingled again. Annoyed, she tried to block the images of the kiss away.

It meant _nothing._

Maintaining the unaffected look, Sakura gave Sasuke a bright smile—to which he completely ignored. Stepping closer, she took his hand—to which he resisted at first. She tried to ignore the warmth of it, or the slight spark in her hand at the contact, because she knew it wasn't a big deal. It couldn't be. She tugged harder, until he stopped resisting.

"Come on, Sasuke-kun. Let's spar."

Still smiling, Sakura opened the front door.

And once again, she wasn't prepared for what happened next.

SMACK!

Staggering backwards, she automatically put a hand on her hurting cheek—the one that was slapped so hard, she felt the slapper might have broken a cheekbone. Eyes widening, ready to snarl, she looked up. Stared.

"HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY SASUKE-KUN, PINKY!"

And found the angry red eyes of none other than Karin, staring back.

Oh, crap.

When had the girl returned?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**a/n: Well, here it is...chapter 3! My first idea for day two wasn't really like this, but I guess my fingers sort of got possessed...I don't know why, so don't ask. Yes, you read the last few words right. It's Karin. As in Karin from Team Hebi. You see? It's gonna be more exciting!**

**Well, i'll post the next chapter soon. But first...review and tell me what you think of this one! :)**

**Note: For those who might be confused, Sakura proposed 8 days because after all, it's already day two. :)**

**P.S. Thank you so much for the reviews for the previous chapter!**


	5. Pinky

**Day Two**

**Pinky**

When you come to think about it, Team Hebi wasn't such a bad group. It wasn't even that much of an evil group, when you already got to know the members. Sure, they did bad things—things that most normal shinobi would not have done. They were still mysterious, with little quirks and the almost uncanny habit of not really talking that much about their past. And they were feared, too—not by all, of course, but still...by enough people who simply saw them not as ex-missing nins, but as monsters.

First off, there was Sasuke. The so-called leader of the group. Even after two years of village imprisonment, and even after the Uchiha had been given back his status as Konoha nin and member of Team Seven, he still _was_, in more ways than one, part of Team Hebi. He trained with them. Hung out with them. Served his punishment with them, in his first year of return.

And still, people saw him as the betrayer.

Then there was Suigetsu. True, when Sakura first met him, she was a bit sickened—you could say she kinda despised him at first sight, especially when she found out that his specialty had been slicing limbs off people before killing them. But, when you came down to it, she couldn't exactly blame him—even if his ways, for her, had been wrong. He had been Orochimaru's experiment, and he had suffered there. Suffering did a lot to make people stupid and evil. Just look at Sasuke—the guy was a splendid example of that. Still, during Suigetsu's probation, he had behaved. And he had become more open, and more human than most—kind of like a cross between Naruto and Kiba, when it came to the loud-mouthing and sarcasm department.

Yet people still saw him as a killer.

There was, of course, Juugo. Sakura could understand where people were coming from for fearing him. After all, his cursed seal was dangerous. His huge, overtly muscular built was a bit scary. His rampage was a threat. But, like Suigetsu, he had behaved—or, to be more precise, Sakura and the Hokage had made him behave, by doing what they could to heal his unwanted curse. On the outside, he was intimidating—but when you looked, _really_ looked, he wasn't so bad. In fact...he was one of the nicest guys Sakura had ever met.

But, in people's eyes...he was still the beast. The stuff made for nightmares.

The demon.

Then there was Karin. The only girl of the group. Loud and proud and confident, was what she was. She threw temper tantrums, she bitched about stuff, and she complained about anything under the sun. She was stubborn as a mule, and as flirty as females could come. But she had stayed loyal to Konoha—and she remained one of Sasuke's most faithful followers (well, okay—more like stalker). The girl most fangirls feared messing with—though she could oftentimes be more annoying and screechy than most of them put together.

But then, so was Ino. And yet nobody ever judged Ino.

It was Karin who was always labeled the bitch.

Some people, even after two years (one year heavy probation, plus one year training to finally be considered regular nins of Konoha) still didn't want them around. These people judged, condemned, and accused. Looked with superior, know-it-all eyes. In Sakura's opinion, there was only one thing these people should do.

Get. A. Life.

Seriously. What did they know, really, when their own lives were so...simple?

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS, PINKY!"

Hmm. But maybe they had a bit of a point when it came to Karin.

With a vicious hiss at the pain throbbing in her cheek (the girl knew how to slap!), Sakura glared at the red-haired, red-eyed girl standing in front of her apartment, who had her hands on her hips and a righteous expression on her face. Her glasses were askew, and her lips were peeled back in what might have been a snarl (it looked more severe than a snarl). Behind her stood the other two members of Team Wonder—one looking amused, and the other looking worried and apologetic.

"What the hell was that for, Karin?" Sakura snapped, rubbing her cheek with one hand. She glared harder. Had anyone else been on the receiving end of that glare, they would have run far, far away already.

But oh, no. Not Karin.

Instead of running, Karin merely glared back, jealousy radiating off her in waves. She pointed an accusing finger at Sakura.

"SASUKE-KUN IS MINE!"

Sakura only stared at her in disbelief. "Erm...I'm sure we've established that already." Like, everyday. Karin never let _anyone _forget that. "What are you—"

"DON'T PRETEND YOU DON'T KNOW, PINKY! IT'S ALL OVER TOWN! I HEARD IT FROM THE MOMENT I CAME BACK FROM MY TRACKING MISSION!"

Sakura's look of disbelief immediately became a wince. Karin, catching the look, only pointed her finger more accusingly.

"YOU SEE!" she shrieked, "IT'S TRUE!"

"Jeez, does this all have to be so melodramatic?" Suigetsu piped in, grinning at Sakura and arching an eyebrow at Karin. "Not that I'm not happy to see your ugly face back, Karin, but—"

"SHUT UP AND GO INTERROGATE YOUR STUPID PEOPLE, SHARK FACE!"

"Erm...I believe they are prisoners, and not all of them are stupid people, in fact it's hard to interro—"

"SHUT UP!" Karin snarled, smacking Suigetsu on the shoulder. Suigetsu winced, but did not make a move to smack her back—Sakura figured he must really have missed her company or something like that. Still snarling, Karin whirled back on Sakura, eyes flaring. "YOU STOLE MY SASUKE-KUN, PINKY!"

Sakura sighed.

"I didn't steal him. And jeez, Karin...stop calling me Pinky."

Karin gave a somewhat evil smirk. "Pin-ky."

Sakura's brows twitched. "Take that back."

Karin stubbornly held up her chin. "_Pin-ky_."

Sakura's hand fisted. "Take. That. Back."

Suigetsu and Juugo, being smart men, discreetly backed a few steps away.

Karin simply sneered. "Make me."

_Oh, hell, yeah I will!_

Inner Sakura cheered, as Outer Sakura's fisted hand went up, ready to aim a vicious, angry punch.

However, before she could, another hand came up in the air, gripping—then effectively suspending her own.

"Don't be stupid."

Karin looked at Sasuke with fluttering, lovestruck eyes, obviously gleeful that she was being defended.

Sakura tried very hard not to aim the punch to the annoying man himself.

"I _wasn't_ being stupid," she growled.

"Yeah, you were—_Pinky_," Karin taunted, looking jealous again. She was glaring at the still-connected hands of the two. "AND DON'T FLIRT WITH MY SASUKE-KUN!"

"I wasn't flirting with your precious Sasuke-kun!" Sakura snapped.

"Oh, yeah?!" Karin screeched back. From the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Suigetsu roll his eyes, while Juugo covered his ears. She ignored them.

"Yeah, I wasn't, okay?"

"Liar!"

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Prove it!"

Karin pointed at Sakura again—or rather at somewhere below her neck. "Those! Those are proof! Your nipples are all puckered and aroused! You have no bra! You are trying to seduce him!"

Silence.

It took Sakura a moment to digest the words Karin were saying—well, okay, _screaming_—and another to understand. Juugo had averted his gaze politely, while Suigetsu had stepped forward again, eyes focused on...

Sakura looked down, in shock. In surprise.

In horror.

She squeaked.

Then she proceeded to blush a tomato red—and to cover herself discreetly.

Oh, hell.

"I—it's the cold! It's not him—it's—you don't understand—he's not—"

Before she could continue defending herself, her hand was suddenly being pulled. She saw Karin's flirty gaze on Sasuke turn angrily on hers, Juugo looking worried again. Suigetsu merely smirked, amusement back in his eyes.

BAM!

Then the door was slammed, and only the two of them remained in the room once again.

From the background, Karin could be heard shrieking indignantly.

"Pinky! How dare you pull my Sasuke-kun inside!"

"Jeez, damn woman...would you lower you voice?"

"SHUT UP SHARK FREAK!"

"Make me, Four-eyes!"

"ARGHH!"

Basically, Sakura ignored all the irritating noise, and focused her attention on the person who had pulled her inside (and no, it was _not_ the other way around). She had already been humiliated (_damn that stupid Karin!_), and she did have one point to make.

One very important point.

"I _wasn't_ aroused," Sakura hissed, disentangling herself from his hold and crossing her arms.

_You're quite the liar, aren't you?_

Oh, how she wanted to beat up that stupid inner voice.

"Just to make it clear," she hissed again instead, when he remained silent.

A pause.

"So don't think that I am!" she snapped, becoming more irritated now.

"Stop being annoying."

Sakura's brows twitched again. "I wasn't being annoying!"

"You were blowing our cover."

"I—"

"Again."

Sakura glared. "Well, what do you expect? She would continue harassing me if I don't tell her the truth!"

"WHAT TRUTH? SASUKE-KUN, IS SHE BLACKMAILING YOU? TELL ME AND I WILL SAVE YOU, AND—SHARK FREAK, SHUT UP AND STOP GUFFAWING LIKE A DONKEY!"

"You're the donkey!"

Throwing the door an annoyed look (and Sakura another warning glance), Sasuke pulled her away from the door slightly.

"Look, Sakura—I don't beg."

Obviously.

"But a deal is a deal. Obviously, you're not ninja enough to honor that. So if you wanna back out by telling her..."

She should have known it was a plot—well, okay, she _did_ know. Sasuke had this weird way of manipulating words, which, if she had to be honest with herself, she had done lots of times already, too. They both weren't top in the Academy for nothing. She should have overridden it with her own words, should have out-plotted him (or something like that, anyway). It was easy.

But to her annoyance, there was one thing undeniable about said Uchiha words.

If they told Karin, true...Karin would finally get off her back. But then...wouldn't telling Karin also ensure that in a matter of twenty-four hours (less than that, even), the whole village would know about it as well?

Yes. Karin had a mouth like Ino, too.

Darn it.

With a pout, Sakura finally gave in to the admission that she would have choked on, seconds earlier: and that was that Sasuke had a point.

Darn it!

"Fine," she huffed, reluctance obvious in her tone. "We won't tell _anybody_—except Team Seven members, who already know about it anyway." She was pretty sure they weren't going to say anything as well—a fact that both irritated and relieved her. "Happy now?"

"Hn."

BAM! BAM! BAM!

"SASUKE-KUN! WHY ARE YOU GUYS MUMBLING? IS THE PINKY HARRASSING YOU? IS SHE RAPING YOU?"

Sakura growled again. "But don't blame me if I end up murdering _her_."

"Hn."

BAM! BAM! BAM!

"OPEN THE DOOR! SASUKE-KUN!"

"Well, go on," Sakura said, a bit sarcastically. "Open the door, _Sasuke-kun_."

Sasuke merely gave her another annoyed look. "Stop being a child and go take a bath."

"Why should I?"

Deliberately, Sasuke glanced down, at the view her folded arms were hiding. He smirked. She blushed madly. "Because you're...cold."

"Pervert," she muttered darkly.

He scoffed. "In your dreams."

"Fine! I'll take a bath!"

BAM! BAM! BAM!

"Just go placate your loyal fan, for crying out loud!" Grumbling under her breath, Sakura stalked away. When she finally reached the door near her bedroom, Sasuke spoke again.

"And dress accordingly. You're sparring with Team Hebi."

She _never_ sparred with Team Hebi.

"_Why?_" she asked, torn between confusion and irritation. Sakura knew Sasuke considered Team Hebi a strong team, and her...well, nothing but a nuisance. The only person he had ever invited to spar with them was Naruto—or sometimes, Kakashi. She turned her head, glancing at him. Sasuke was gazing back quietly, his arms folded. He paused. He grunted.

Then he smirked.

"Because you're my girlfriend now, and what I say goes."

Another pause.

"We'll wait for you outside. Be fast."

It took a moment for her jaw to drop open, and for her to realize that Sasuke had already opened the door, revealing a squealing and fussing Karin at his wake. The door closed. When Sakura came about, she did the only thing she thought possible (since punching Sasuke didn't seem like an option, however tempting).

Sakura shrieked. Loudly.

Then she proceeded to stomp to her room, and slammed the door as hard as she could (even harder than earlier).

It was safe to say her walls were going to have lots of cracks from now on.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**a/n: There you go. Chapter 4! Yes, Team Hebi has been pardoned, and are now temporary, still-monitored citizens of Konoha. Anyway, I still have one more chapter to go for day two, before I proceed to day three...and something is going to happen there (hehe).**

**Well, what do you think of this chapter? Like it or hate it? Tell me please! (Review review review!)**

**Again, thanks for the previous reviews. I really appreciate it. I'll be posting the next chapter next week!**

**P.S. Got a new poll out, asking which upcoming fanfic you might like me to post first. You may vote if you like. :)**


	6. Dance

**Day Two**

**Dance**

Training had gone on as usual, with no mishaps whatsoever—well, except when you count the time that Sakura announced (with a rather self-satisfied and stubborn look on her face) to the whole of Team Wonder that she was, in fact, now the Uchiha's girlfriend...a fact which made Karin shriek incessantly, and then topple over in a dead faint. Of course, she woke up a few minutes afterwards, and just continued shrieking incessantly.

Okay, so maybe that wasn't the only mishap.

After the endless shrieking (which Suigetsu tried to override with yells and insults of his own), Karin had then verged on to shooting the pink-haired medic nin continually vicious glares, making sure it was very, very nasty—which, smart girl that she was, Sakura continually ignored, opting to chat with Suigetsu about his temporary job as one of Konoha's prisoner interrogators, then with Juugo about his conditions and his healing schedules. They seemed pleased with her company, and seemed to appreciate it, Juugo with his shy smiles, and Suigetsu...well, with his usual, weird, flirty banters. Sasuke, in the meantime, remained quiet—but he was obviously not bothered by her presence at all.

Maybe.

To which, of course, Karin got only more irritated.

Because the shrieking wasn't working, the red-haired girl went for the last option: complete denial. She badmouthed Sakura (which the pink-haired girl tried very hard to ignore). She flirted with her Sasuke-kun, latching on to him and trying to seduce him in any way possible (and of course, knowing Karin, the flirting and seducing bordered mostly on blatant and downright crude). Sakura found this amusing, and would have been content to watch on—that is, until Sasuke gave her the patented warning glance, subtly telling her to play her role. With a roll of her eyes, Sakura reluctantly did so, by latching onto his other arm and oh-so-subtly (and quite sweetly) telling Karin to get lost, because _she_ was the girlfriend, and there was nothing Karin could do about it.

A spur-of-the-moment choice of words, which Sakura found out she was going to regret later.

Suigetsu had snickered. Juugo had simply observed. Sasuke had remained quiet. From somewhere in the bushes, there were barely audible gasps, then murmurs of disappointment.

Then, a familiar shriek.

Followed by Karin charging Sakura at full-speed.

There would have been a hell of a catfight (which Suigetsu was somewhat keen on, judging by his encouraging cheers and eager grins)—but Sasuke decided to finally intervene, by grabbing Karin in the arm before she could attack. Karin, taking this the wrong way, instantly latched on to his arm again, and went on with the flirting. But the flirting and eye-fluttering became a look of shock, when Sasuke (thoroughly annoyed now) gave her a glare—and told her to leave Sakura alone and get on with training.

Karin stormed off after that—but she returned later, after they had finished sparring, with a determined swing on her hips, and an invitation for drinks at the bar later, to unwind.

Needless to say, it had been quite a training session, and everybody got a bit of a headache in the end.

Needless to say, nobody refused the invitation to unwind and get rid of the headache.

The _Jenzo_ was a public dance and drinks bar, and a pretty cool one at that. It wasn't really the Uchiha's type of place—but the others were insistent, and he found he really wasn't in the mood to argue. Because of the music, most people couldn't really hear each other's voices—a perfect setting, really, when all you wanted was to drink and drown your mind, and the night, away.

Too bad there was one voice that didn't seem to want to be drowned out.

"Sasuke-kun, sweetie, you look tired. Are you sure you don't want me to...massage you?"

The voice cooing in his ear was a bit annoying, but Sasuke had learned to ignore that. No, it wasn't Sakura, considering that Sakura had excused herself and said she had some errands to do, and would just try to catch up to them—much to a certain red-haired girl's delight. Karin, never one to back out of an opportunity, took this as one, and immediately stuck to Sasuke like a glue—one with no plans of unsticking. It didn't exactly help that Suigetsu and Juugo were completely ignoring this, as they were too busy with the liquored drinks in front of them (well, Juugo with his orange juice—he wasn't really allowed to drink, due to his still-ongoing healing sessions).

With an inward sigh, Sasuke took a sip of his own sake, and studiously did not comment.

Karin seemed to see this as a challenge.

With a seductive smile on her face, she sneakily sidled closer to him, running a finger playfully up and down his arm. He didn't respond. Smiling some more, she latched onto said arm, making sure her breasts were pressed firmly on his skin, for him to feel. She had changed into a revealing outfit when she had gone back to their training, showing more skin and cleavage than usual (to which Suigetsu loudly catcalled, before he got smacked again by her impatient hand).

He kept on ignoring.

But at the back of his mind, Sasuke was bothered. No, not bothered because of what Karin was doing. She had done this multiple times before—it _never_ bothered him, much less stir a reaction (except the ever-present annoyance, of course). What bothered him was different, really, and he couldn't really put a name to it. Maybe it had to do with the fact that his head was still a bit throbbing (the training earlier was really not to his satisfaction). Maybe it had to do with Suigetsu's loud taunting—taunting directed at Karin, to which Karin only over-shrieked with her own insults (it sounded a bit like a banshee screaming).

Or maybe it had to do with something else.

Like the fact that when Karin was pressing her firm breasts against his arms, Sasuke found he couldn't help himself from thinking not of those breasts, but of different ones.

A different skin.

Different touch.

Different hands.

Different moans—

"Sasuke-kun, are you feeling any better? Do you want to go to my place and let me...take care of your headache?"

Abruptly, Sasuke snapped out of his thoughts, annoyed that he was even thinking about it. What did it matter? It was only a ploy, and knowing Sakura, those moans were probably just a part of said ploy, to make it more convincing. Hell, it _sounded _convincing. He wouldn't put it past her—she had become a great actress lately, probably due to all those shinobi acting lessons. As of such, the fangirls were, so far, already leaning towards believing. As for him...well, one thing was for sure.

He hadn't felt a thing.

_Liar._

And he was _not _a liar.

_Double liar._

More annoyed now, Sasuke tried to erase the thoughts away, and instead opted to focus on what was happening around him (not that he was interested—he just wanted to get his mind off...certain things). He saw that Karin was practically plastered all over him, her bare legs trying to hook over his (and unsuccessfully at that, so far). She was gazing at him, her red eyes taking on a suggestive and sultry look (in her opinion).

Sasuke only sipped more of his drink, and tried to disentangle from her.

"Sasuke-kun darling," Karin whined, "you—"

Before she could continue, a familiar loud snicker interrupted.

"Jeez, Karin..._darling_? Can you get any more pathetic than that?"

Karin stiffened. Almost immediately, she whirled on Suigetsu, who was smirking at her in amusement. Sasuke took this distraction to further disentangle from her—to his relief, she didn't protest.

Instead, she glared daggers at the white-haired man.

"Shut up, you stupid cow!" she snarled.

Suigetsu merely raised an eyebrow. "...cow? I thought that was _you_."

Karin glared harder. "Nice try, you stupid goat."

"Oh, so I used to be a cow, and now I'm a goat. How—"

"Just shut up! I'm spending time with my precious Sasuke-kun!"

"...who obviously doesn't want to spend it with you."

Karin gasped. "That's not true! He enjoys it!"

"...which is why he has a...hmm. A _girlfriend_. Who so happens to be—oh. _Not_ you—"

"SHUT UP SHARKFACE!"

"Make me, Four-eyes!"

And the endless shrieking went on. Juugo sighed, obviously used to this by now. Sasuke remained emotionless, not really caring.

That is, until Suigetsu's last statement.

"Oh, lookie here, Four-eyes...looks like you got some competition. The fangirls are here."

Instantly, Sasuke subtly turned his eyes to the front entrance—he could have very nearly groaned (which he didn't, of course, considering he was an Uchiha). Sure enough, some of the girls he had seen trailing him this morning were there, scanning the dance area as if searching for something. Or someone. Sasuke turned around, ready to not be seen.

"HEY, THERE'S TEME! AND TEAM WONDER! HEY, GUYS!"

Too bad someone was too loud for that.

Sasuke scowled as, sure enough, standing behind the fangirls was none other than Naruto—waving enthusiastically (and quite obliviously to the fact that he had just shown the fangirls where the Uchiha was), and making a beeline for their table. Following behind him were Sai (who was smile-faking, as usual), Kakashi (who was glued to his orange book), Ino (who was hanging on to Shikamaru's arm tightly), Shikamaru (who was murmuring troublesome), Chouji (who was happily munching on some chips), Kiba (who was grinning wolfishly at everyone, Akamaru trotting at his side), Tenten (who had a shuriken twirling in her hand), Neji (who looked like he would rather be anywhere else), Gai (who was shouting something about springtime and youth), and Lee (who was looking admiringly at his idol).

Trailing after them, were the fangirls.

Trailing after the fangirls, was Genma—senbon ever-present between his teeth, and looking appreciatively at the sight of firm butts in front of him. It wasn't to say that there was also a girl latched onto his arm, in a quite friendly way.

"Well, now I know why Sasuke got a girlfriend. Such a sight to behold. You lose, Karin. She looks sexier."

It took Sasuke a moment to digest the words of Suigetsu, over the screeching insults Karin was making. Puzzled (though not in any way showing it), Sasuke glanced again, at the group coming his way.

Naruto and his gang.

The fangirls.

Genma with some girl—wait, pink hair?

With a bit of shock at the sight, Sasuke took the whole detail in. He paused.

He stared.

And what he saw unexpectedly made his blood pound a loud drummer's beat.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sakura wasn't quite sure about the dress she was wearing. For one, it wasn't her usual—it had been Ino's gift for her on her seventeenth birthday, and knowing Ino...well, it was more the Pig's taste. Well, okay, it wasn't really as revealing as most of the blond's outfits (which Sakura was at least thankful for), but nevertheless, it was still revealing, especially when met with Sakura's usual standards. She preferred simple clothes, really, because that was what she was. Who she was. Simple.

For another thing, it was white.

Sakura had nothing against white dresses, but combined with the amount of skin this one revealed, and the thinness of the material...well, suffice to say, it was almost...virginal. Seductively virginal.

Too virginal.

Not, of course, that there was anything wrong with that. After all, she _was_ a virgin, and so far, she was quite content with being one.

But did the whole world have to know that?

"You look delicious, Sakura."

With a pleasant, sort-of shy smile, Sakura tried not to think about the state of her outfit (which, she was adamant to point out, had been forced on her by Ino to wear tonight), and turned to the man who she had loosely attached her arm to.

"Even more delicious than the behinds you're eagerly staring at?" she teased lightly.

With a proud, flirtatious grin, Genma turned his head sheepishly towards her, his brown eyes twinkling.

"Nobody's more delicious than you," he stated solemnly, making his voice all low and husky.

Sakura merely slapped his arm. "Oh-kaay, that sounded pretty perverted."

"Honey, perversion is my name."

"Well, not to me, it isn't. You do realize I'm taken now."

At that, Genma pretended to look hurt, and mimicked a knife being stabbed to his heart. "Ouch. Well, there goes my hope to have your heart. You crushed it, Sakura."

"Genma...you just want to get in my pants."

Genma seemed to think this over. Then his grin grew wider.

"Well, yeah. And that."

Sakura giggled, and rolled her eyes. This was already routine between the two—Genma flirts his eyes out, and Sakura evades. It wasn't a problem, really, because she knew he wasn't really serious...well, at least she thinks so. This was, after all, Genma: Mr. Ladies' Man. Sakura found him charming, but that was it. He simply wasn't _her_ prince charming. Not that she believed in fairy tales, of course—but you get the gist.

"Erm...Sakura?"

"Yeah, Genma?"

"...I think you should let go of my arm now."

Sakura stared at Genma in confusion.

"Erm, your lover's kinda...staring. Not-so-happily."

Realizing what Genma meant, Sakura turned her head to the table most of them were heading to—sure enough, there was Sasuke, staring at the both of them with something akin to a scowl on his face. Not that he ever smiled, of course. Reluctantly, Sakura let Genma go—the senbon-sucking man merely gave her a wink, then strode off to join Kakashi and Gai, who had already occupied another nearby table.

Sighing, Sakura turned her eyes to Team Hebi again—they were now surrounded by some fangirls, as well as Naruto, Lee and Kiba. Naruto seemed to be shouting something loudly to Juugo (it seemed like a friendly shout), while Kiba seemed to be having some kind of weird boy-bantering with Suigetsu (they _always­ _did that). Lee had his hands in the air, as if making some kind of point (probably a youthful one). The others had occupied yet another table, either because the one Sasuke and his gang was in was already crowded, or because they just weren't that comfortable with each other (hey, nobody's perfect).

Sasuke simply looked annoyed.

_Like that's anything new._

Still looking, it was then that she noticed where Karin was—or specifically, _what_ Karin was doing. Upon noticing, Sakura's eyebrows immediately shot up.

Oh, she knew what the red-haired girl was up to. After they had trained earlier (for which she was glad the girl had gone, along with her irritating shrieking), Karin had surprisingly come back—clad in nothing but a very formfitting halter top, and very skimpy shorts.

It didn't take a blind person to see the mischievous gleam in her red eyes.

Karin had invited everyone for a drink—at the exact time that Sakura was supposed to be at the hospital, for a few brief rounds (yes—even at her day-off, she was still obliged to do them, at least for a few minutes).

She had a feeling it wasn't a coincidence.

Steeling herself, Sakura continued walking to their table. When she arrived there, everyone sort of looked up—with the exception of two, very near-each-other people. Karin was too busy cuddling up with the raven-haired man beside her, while Sasuke...well, he seemed too busy brooding into his drink.

"Ah, Sakura-chan! The youthful fire of every blossom in the world! You are so beautiful tonight! You are the epitome of springtime!"

Suigetsu smirked. "Yeah. For once I agree with the bozo."

"Don't call Lee bozo, you bozo!" Kiba yelled, narrowing his eyes.

Suigetsu narrowed his eyes back. "Sorry, bozo."

Sakura simply rolled her eyes, and ignored them. Still steeling herself (especially from the not-so-subtle glares the fangirls were giving her), she squeezed in the little table, until she was standing right beside Sasuke. Without further ado, she sat down, in between him and Juugo.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun."

"...hn."

Karin gave her a pointed look. She ignored that, and turned to the big man on her other side.

"Hey again, Juugo."

Juugo smiled shyly. "Hello, Sakura. They're right, you know."

"Huh?"

"You...um, look really pretty."

Sakura's cheek flushed. "Erm...thanks, I guess."

They went on being quiet for a while after that, simply listening in on the conversation going on around them.

"Hey, Karin-chan! How was your mission?"

Karin gave Naruto a haughty, superior look—the one she always used on people she considered beneath her. "It was _fantastic_."

"Right. Tracking a missing dog. How _interesting_."

SMACK!

"Shut up, Sharkfreak!"

"Whatever, Four-eyes."

"Neh...you guys are really weird, you know."

"Naruto, I'm glad you finally noticed."

SMACK!

"Shut up, Dogface!"

"Yeah...what Four-eyes said."

SMACK!

"I am not Four-eyes!"

Naruto peered at Karin innocently. "Well, you kind of are, Karin-chan. Your eyes plus the glasses," he said, counting with his fingers. "That makes four!" He beamed, as if he had just solved the world's greatest problem.

Lee beamed along with him. "Yes! The springtime of youth has blossomed into the mind of a genius!"

SMACK! SMACK!

"Ow—Karin-chan! What was that for?"

"Oh, my...she is expressing to us the energy of youth!"

Ino, from the other side, rolled her blue eyes in disbelief. "You've _got_ to be kidding me."

"I think you guys are showing human dynamics again," Sai supplied, observing the happenings very curiously.

"Human dynamics? But I am not flirting with her," Naruto whined.

"Ah, flirting!" Lee supplied. "An expression of youthful love!"

"We are not flirting!" Karin hissed, glaring at Sai (who merely smiled back). "I will never flirt with anyone other than my Sasuke-kun."

"Obviously, it hadn't been working," Ino muttered.

Karin glared. "It has!"

Ino glared back. "Really? Then how come he has a new..._girlfriend_?"

At this, Karin's glare diverted towards Sakura—who would have been just content on watching the show, really.

Karin scoffed. "Oh, you mean _pinky_? She's not even up to his standards. And I don't even think they're really involved. She's just delusional."

Some fangirls murmured their agreement. Loudly.

Okay, that was uncalled for.

She would have been content to watch the show...but who _liked_ being insulted?

Narrowing her eyes, Sakura stared Karin in the eye.

"Jealous much, Karin?" she said simply.

"No way! I'm just being truthful."

"Right."

"I am!"

"Jeez, Four-eyes, what's got your panties in a twist? You're being more annoying than ever."

"Shut up, Sharkface! And it's Pinky's fault, anyway! You should ask what's got _her_ panties in a twist!"

Suddenly it was all too much. What did she do to deserve this, really?

"Karin?" Sakura said, softly, not caring anymore. It was time to retaliate.

"What?!"

Sakura smirked. "I wouldn't know..." she murmured. Then, without thinking, she sidled closer to the man in between them, deliberately angling so that she was almost sitting on his lap. She lowered her voice, so that only Karin could hear.

"...since I'm not wearing any."

_Hah! There you go_, _Four-eyes!_

The red-haired girl's reaction was all that Sakura needed.

Karin's eyes budged out. Her jaw dropped open. She looked shocked, then appalled.

Then, determined.

Without further ado, Karin squeezed in closer. She glared.

"I'm not wearing any panties either!"

And no, it wasn't said in a whisper.

In a moment, everyone within hearing distance turned to stare at Karin (some at her shorts), while everybody near the table became silent...well, except for the fangirls.

"You slut!" one screamed.

"How dare you try to seduce our Sasuke-kun!" another whined.

Karin shifted her glare to them. "_Your_ Sasuke-kun?! Dream on!"

"_You _dream on!"

"Shut up!"

"Erm, wait!" Ino piped up—her voice, fortunately, was louder than the others, making everyone's stares shift towards her. "Four-eyes said _either_. Then the other one without panties is..." Her eyes widened.

A pause.

Then, to Sakura's extreme horror, everyone started staring at _her._

Kami—why did she have to get into such situations?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She had to be lying. Because if she wasn't, and she really didn't have anything underneath, and she was sitting on his lap...

Sasuke felt the heat jolt into him, before he could stop himself. There was no denying that it was heat now. Unwanted, unbidden heat. It didn't exactly help that she had her head turned into the crook of his neck, as if trying to hide herself. An obvious sign that she was embarrassed.

_Well, she deserves it_.

Trying to shake all thoughts away, Sasuke did the only thing he could think of at the moment. It didn't look like she was going to get off his lap, and it didn't look like the loud whines of the fangirls (and Karin) were going to cease at any minute. If she didn't get off, he was going to get more...uncomfortable. If he pushed her away...well, their pretense would be out the window. And fangirls would be back to molesting.

He didn't want that happening.

Without further ado, Sasuke ignored the people around him (all of which he thought were annoying, except for Juugo), and whispered in Sakura's ear.

"Let's dance."

He tried to ignore the way her cheeks moved—the way his lips accidentally touched the softness of that part of her skin.

Slowly, Sasuke put a hand on her waist, pushing her up. Sakura looked startled. Quietly, he took her hand in his, and pulled her away from the whole bunch.

He didn't miss the surprised expression on their faces—and the look of jealous rage on most of the fangirls, and Karin.

He ignored all that.

When they were already in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by adults and teenagers alike, Sasuke put his hands on her waist, pulling her close. As if it came naturally, she put her own hands in his shoulders, leaning in.

They swayed like that, oblivious to the semi-fast beat—each preoccupied with their own, private thoughts.

It was after a few moments that she finally spoke up.

"Erm...it's not true, you know."

Silence.

"I am...um, wearing panties."

Silence.

"Just to clear it up."

"Hn."

Sakura sighed, at his typical reply. She let her gaze settle at somewhere behind his shoulder. She frowned.

"I don't think it's working," she finally muttered, sighing again.

"Hn."

"They're getting suspicious. Especially the smart ones."

"Hn."

"Sooner or later they're gonna investigate."

"Hn."

"Jeez, Sasuke-kun, is that all you can say?" Her frown turned into a scowl, and she stopped looking at where she was looking to give him a pointed, chilly glare. "I don't want to be the laughingstock when this gets out, you know."

"We'll make it work," he simply said.

"How?" she demanded, raising an eyebrow.

He didn't know.

They both remained silent for a while, both thinking again. Sasuke pondered, letting his brain work for him. Ideas came, but he quickly dismissed them, knowing most of them were too transparent to be believable. He needed a foolproof plan, one that would ensure that the girls would finally leave him alone, and let him get on with his life.

And then he got it.

It was so simple, but he got it.

Leaning in, not letting himself think anymore of the negative quirks, Sasuke put his lips near her ear once more. He felt her swaying stop, as his mouth touched that ear—accidentally, he told himself. It was all accidental. He didn't want to touch her, had never wanted to do so.

"Move in with me."

He felt her stiffen in his arms, quite predictably. Then, she was suddenly staring up at him, shock apparent in her eyes.

"W—what?"

"For the pretense."

"Wh—" She began moving away.

Firmly, he held her closer, making sure she stayed in place. She was molded close to him now, and he could feel her heat again, radiating out of her and seeping through him. He ignored that, and placed his mouth near her ear—again.

To make sure no one else hears, he told himself.

Just for that.

Nothing more.

"Seven days. Starting tomorrow. Nothing more."

Silence.

After several moments, he felt her gradually relaxing in his arms. Her stiffening shoulders were gone, replaced by...softness. She sighed, her breath hot and whispery. Resigned.

"Okay. Seven days."

It was the only conversation afterwards.

As they continued to relax the night away, and sway in each other's arms, Sasuke began to realize one thing.

Haruno Sakura had changed. Dangerously.

Temptingly.

He was going to have to be careful from now on.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**a/n: Well, there you go. I put Sasuke's thoughts in now, because I know most are already curious about what he's thinking. I know their whole pretense thing is pretty weird, considering there really are other ways to get the fangirls to go away (just punch them! hehe). And Sakura's outlook on the bet is weird, too, because she has this idea that seducing Sasuke might make him fall for her (we all know that only happens rarely, if not at all). But, I wrote this in a way that it's coming from both Sasuke's and Sakura's minds...not **_**my**_** mind. So, to be short, it's their way of thinking - however stupid their thinking can sometimes get. I guess I wanted them to not be so smart all the time. In a way, I think it makes them more...human. I like it when they're more human.**

**By the way...have you guys read the latest manga chapter? Made me really frustrated. Sigh. Team eagle leaves me hopeless. I hate Madara! And I kinda wanna punch Sasuke. Grr.**

**Well, anyway, enough with the ranting! I hope you enjoyed this one, and the end of day two! It's a long chapter, as most reviewers requested.**

**Review please! :)**


	7. Like a Thief

**Day Three**

**Like a Thief**

Because she was busy at the hospital for the entire duration of the morning and afternoon, Sakura didn't get to think much about what the Uchiha had proposed to her just the night before, while they were dancing. She had many patients to attend to, particularly because of two consecutive missions that had gone wrong—a situation that left her with no other time and thoughts in mind, other than that of making sure the survivors remained alive.

It was part of the job, and nobody could say that she never took her job seriously.

Nevertheless, her job hadn't been a 24-hour thing, unlike most days. After stabilizing the survivors, the Hokage herself had ordered Sakura to rest, telling her in no certain terms that depleting her already-depleted chakra would only make her useless. So, Sakura, being the good apprentice that she was, simply did the best course there was at the moment: and that was not to argue, and just walk her tired self home.

She didn't expect that on the walk home, her thoughts would immediately center on one particular person—and one particular proposal.

The truth was, Sakura was already having some doubts.

It wasn't doubts about her abilities. Sakura knew for a fact that when challenges came her way, she took them head-on—however stupid or irrational that could be sometimes. That was just her nature. She knew that wasn't the case when she was a child, because during her childhood, she had pretty much feared just about everything there was to fear—a fact that half-shamed her, yet half-relieved her. After all, her childhood made her who she was now—it was where she'd been molded, into someone stronger.

Someone who wouldn't be so dependent on others anymore.

This bet was, in reality, just a piece of cake, considering how she had faced so much already. She knew Ino hadn't specifically told her how to make Sasuke fall in love with her—the relationship, if she could make it last for until the ninth day, would already be proof enough, when one really thought about it. Heck, even the moving in was proof enough, and she didn't even have to sleep with him anymore. Ino knew nothing of the truth, that this was all pretend. Sakura was pretty sure that if she only played her cards right, and make Sasuke keep up with the pretense, then she was home-free—and it would not be her who would be running around naked in Konoha in a few days' time.

But she was now doubting, and not the bet. Nor her ability.

No.

She was doubting something else entirely.

It was true that she didn't have feelings for Sasuke anymore. Maybe love for the memories, and care for a teammate (because however much he had Team Hebi with him now, and however much they didn't train together anymore...he was _still_ her teammate, whatever happened)...but beyond that, there wasn't any more. Nothing more.

For the life of her, she couldn't understand why those words, the one she had thought of and uttered for just about the duration of two years, were suddenly starting to betray her.

Two years ago—heck, even one month ago—she could have easily said that being near him would have no effect whatsoever to her system. No rapid heartbeats, no vying for attention...no desire to be kissed. To be touched.

Last night, her heartbeat had sped up.

Last night, she had wanted to be kissed. Again.

It wasn't love.

But it was something.

"Oi, Forehead! Heads up!"

Annoyed with herself, and at where her thoughts were heading, Sakura looked up, and tiredly walked towards where a certain sexy blond was waving at her, obviously trying to catch her attention. Beside Ino was Sai, smiling serenely and looking like a man who had no complicated thoughts whatsoever.

Lucky him.

"Hey, guys...what's up?"

Ino peered at Sakura critically. "Forehead, you look like you're about to fall asleep on your feet. Or better yet...you look like a _zombie_."

Sakura merely rolled her eyes. Ino had called her that a lot of times already, and she never minded it much anymore. "Yeah, well, nothing new," she mumbled, trying not to yawn.

Still observing, Ino's blue eyes suddenly turned mischievous.

"Ah...I bet those dark eye circles have something to do with getting tired from...last night's activities, eh?" By the tone of the voice, it was quite obvious that when she said 'activity', she didn't mean the dance. Ino smirked, looking quite gleeful.

Sakura gave her a narrowed look. "No. I was _busy._"

To Sakura's irritation, the smirk only grew wider.

"I bet you were."

Sakura gave her a glare. "Shut. Up."

Not wanting to discuss it any more, Sakura turned her attention to Sai, who was still smiling in a weird way. He obviously wasn't listening—or maybe he was, and just did not understand what the banter had been about. Either way, Sakura was sort of glad for that. "What's up with _you_?"

Sai simply remained smiling. "Hello, Ugly. I am perfectly fine. I have just read an educational book, and it has added up to my broadening knowledge about people and their interactions."

Before Sakura could politely question what book, Sai had already reached behind him, and in no more than a second, had already produced and held up exactly what he was talking about.

Sakura stared.

Ino stared.

Then, almost immediately, the blond was suddenly bopping the artist's head.

"I cannot believe you!" Ino shrieked, eyes widening in utter disbelief. "I've been walking with you for hours now and _that's_ what's been on your mind?! Gah! What would my boyfriend think?"

Confused (for he already knew how to be confused), Sai crinkled his eyebrows—a perfectly wrong expression, really, considering eye crinkles were supposed to mean amused. "Well, considering Shikamaru-kun knows more about these things than I do, I would think that he has probably already taught you a lot about the positions—"

BAM!

"Pervert!"

Without further ado, Ino stalked off—leaving Sai clutching his right cheek in confusion, and Sakura wondering what the heck had just happened.

The girl came back, five seconds later.

And her eyes narrowed at Sakura.

"Oh, yeah, and Forehead?"

"What, Pig?"

Ino grinned. "I know all about the pretense. So don't think you could fool me very easily, okay?"

And with that, the blond hugged her best friend, and glared at the other—then she stalked off for good, leaving the two gawking (well, okay, only Sakura was gawking) after her.

After a moment, Sai turned to Sakura.

After a moment, Sakura turned to Sai.

Slowly, she took a dangerous step forward.

"And how, pray tell, did she _know_ about the pretense?"

Sai blinked.

"Well?" she demanded, folding her arms.

Sai blinked again.

"Sai!"

Sai smiled. "Was it supposed to be a secret?"

Sakura glared. "Yes. Yes, of course! Who else did you tell?!"

"Just her, Ugly. She asked me. I thought she knew."

"She didn't. And now she does."

Sakura gave Sai a look of frustration, aware that her plan had just backfired. Sai, in turn, gave her a thoughtful look, as if contemplating what to do.

He suddenly stepped forward. "I read from a book that if you offend someone, the right thing to do is to ask for forgiveness." A pause. "Can I ask for your forgiveness, Ugly?"

Well, hell. How could anyone refuse _that?_

With a sigh, Sakura eased out of her glare, and gave him a light pat on the shoulder. After all, she wasn't exactly feeling hopeless yet.

There was still time to plan.

"Ugly?"

"What?"

He rubbed his cheek again. "Why did she slap me? What did I say wrong?"

For the first time that day, Sakura laughed—then she instantly gave the orange book a very disapproving, very dirty look (totally ignoring the fact that just days ago, _she_ herself had been openly ogling it in their ex-sensei's hand). She was too tired to scold her friend, and so settled for a light reprimand.

Maybe tomorrow, she would get to the scolding.

"Sai, can I give some advice?"

"Why, of course, Ugly."

"Don't ever show or talk about that book in public. _Ever_."

And with that, she went off, too, giving Sai a little wave as she did so. Sai waved back, albeit awkwardly. With another sigh (she seemed to be sighing too often today), she trudged off, into the direction of her apartment, intent on one task, and one task only.

Packing.

Maybe after that, her thoughts would finally cease from complicating everything.

Maybe.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_She was moaning under him, and moaning well._

_It was a lovely, lovely sound._

"_Sasuke..."_

_Her lips were on his ear, nibbling and teasing. His own were on her neck, tasting the sweetness of her essence, and smelling the faint trace of lemons._

"_Hn."_

_Their hands were everywhere. His were everywhere. It was impossible to stay in one spot, because every curve of her body was soft, and every glide was smooth and accompanied with her movements that were driving him wild, driving him into wanting more._

"_Sasuke..."_

_Slowly, his mouth trailed down, to take a naked, pale breast inside. Her moans became louder, and his breaths became harsher. His hands roamed down, smoothing and sliding, rubbing and cupping._

_Her own hands came down, to grip him. She didn't stop, but continued rubbing._

_He didn't stop kissing her, and letting himself go._

"_Sasuke..."_

_He couldn't let her go._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He had woken up aroused, and sweating.

And sporting a very raging, still-throbbing hard-on.

Shocked beyond all measure, and not even knowing how he fell asleep (he was tired, but not that tired), Sasuke pulled himself out of bed, and sat at the edge, closing his eyes and rubbing his hands all over his clammy face. The dream hadn't been vivid, he knew that. They were mostly colors, and textures and touches.

But the sound.

The sound of the voice.

"_Sasuke..."_

It was her voice, there was no denying that.

And in that dream, it had become husky and very, very sensual.

Like a siren ready to make him want.

"_Sasuke..."_

It was still calling him.

With a vicious curse, Sasuke stood up, irritated with the vision, with the thoughts. With the dream. It wouldn't do. Tonight was the night she would be moving in, and it simply wasn't right to be thinking such inappropriate thoughts. It just wasn't. It was highly unreasonable, because she meant nothing to him, and he felt nothing for her. His mind was messing up with him, and at the moment, there was simply no room for that.

That was a dream, nothing more. And in this reality, there was nothing but pretense, and playing the role for a stupid play that he had orchestrated in the first place.

He didn't want her.

He never would.

With a sigh, Sasuke opened his eyes, and silently went to the bathroom, intent on a cold, cold shower. He was supposed to pick her up at the hospital, but he suddenly didn't want to be bothered. If she came, fine. If she didn't...better.

Tonight, he was going to shower, then he was going to train.

And he was going to forget about everything.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was at the long walk to his place that Sakura decided that she wasn't going to sleep with him.

Sure, that was part of her first plan. To sleep with him, and make him want her so bad that he wouldn't be able to think straight. When he wanted her so bad, there would come a time that he would need her...and in needing her, he would come to realize that he may love her. Maybe not love _love_, but simply lust her enough to convince Ino that yes, Uchiha Sasuke has finally fallen for her, Haruno Sakura—the one girl he had always considered annoying.

It was after she had finished packing that she realized how utterly ridiculous it sounded.

And, how selfish.

Just because she wanted to win the bet, didn't mean she should be oh-so-ready to do the deed with him. When she thought about it now, it just sounded so...wrong. True, she was a kunoichi, and at a young age, a kunoichi had already been taught that when it came to missions, things like virginity and precious first times just didn't count anymore. Heck—Ino herself had lost hers on a mission, and the girl had cried for a while after that. But afterwards, she had held her head high, and simply put it at the back of her mind. Moved on.

Sakura didn't want that.

As much as that was reality, a small part of her still held on stubbornly to the belief that when it came to her first time, it would be lovely. It would be with someone she trusted, and not some mission or some weird bet. It would be with someone she cared for, and who cared for her back. Love her, even.

She knew that someone would never be Sasuke.

So, now she had a different game plan, and only one firm thought in mind: to play her part, and play her part well.

No sex. No seduction. But plenty of affection, and maybe even some making out. Or if not, then just a public kiss, here and there. It wouldn't be hard, really, because she knew she was a sweet girl by nature. She loved affection, and she had no problem showing it.

Besides, it wasn't like there would be any feelings involved. None on hers—and definitely _zero_ on him.

Last night was just the heat of the moment, and it was best that she forget about it.

_You go, girl._

She smiled, for the first time happy that her inner was agreeing with her.

Fifteen minutes later, after much silent pondering and walking, she finally arrived in the residential area where his apartment was located. She scanned the streets, and instantly zoned onto the one she knew was his. She'd never been there before, of course, considering their not-friends status—but Naruto had told her enough that to spot the Uchiha's place, you only had to look for the largest one there.

Suffice to say, it seemed Naruto had been nothing but accurate.

Indeed, the building she was staring at was easily the largest one in that district. She knew he had chosen this apartment for two things: one, because it spoke of comfort and space, and two...because it was located in the exact opposite direction of his old, and now-abandoned mansion.

It was Naruto who told her Sasuke had never stepped foot there, ever—not in the two years that he's been back. Sakura, for the most part, only told Naruto not to tell her these things anymore—because they didn't matter to her, and probably wouldn't ever.

But nevertheless, she wasn't heartless.

She did feel her heart tug, at the memories of what a massacre could do to a man. Pity, she told herself. After all, even if Itachi was already dead...it didn't mean everything was going to be alright.

Not that Sasuke needed her pity.

With a sigh, Sakura turned her attention back to the apartment. The lights were off—a fact that, however innocent, triggered an irritation in her. If the lights were off, then it could only mean one thing—he was out, either to train or to do whatever the hell he wished.

And he must have forgotten that she was coming.

"The least he could have done was tell me," she muttered to herself, glaring at the absence of lights. Dropping her bag to the ground, she crossed her arms. Thought.

Smiled.

Him not being in didn't mean _she_ wouldn't be able to get in, right?

After all, it wasn't like it was forbidden—and she highly doubted he would lock his house, considering he was a shinobi, and most shinobi just never did that anymore. Plus, he was an Uchiha—she didn't think anyone would dare _steal_ from him, unless they were absolute dumb (or foolish).

And she was tired. She wanted nothing more but to crash into some sot corner, and sleep her eyes out.

How ridiculous would it be to actually walk back home, and just waste all her energy?

Her mind made up, Sakura picked up her bag again, and slung it over her shoulder. Determinedly, she walked up his door, and quickly turned the knob—she was right, he wasn't the type to lock. Sighing in relief (for it did cross her mind that he _might_ lock it), she silently went inside, hurrying so the neighbors wouldn't suspect, and accuse her of being some kind of sneaking burglar.

It took her a moment to adjust to the darkness, and to take the sight in, for the first time.

The place was spacious, alright—and it wasn't separated by rooms, but by dividers. Sakura let her eyes roam, taking in the living room, which contained a simple blue sofa set, and a small coffee desk. The kitchen, located at the far right, which contained a dining table, and some wooden chairs. The library, which contained some books, and a small, brown couch chair (the library was the only one that was located in a separate room, directly across the kitchen).

It was sparse, to say the least.

She couldn't say she was surprised, but maybe she was, a bit. After all, it wasn't like he hadn't been given access to the Uchiha fortune already. He had been given it, one year ago, just at the end of his probation. What was he doing with the money, then? Maybe he was just...thrifty? Still, that didn't say much.

Why not just use the furniture in his old home?

_Because of the memories, you idiot._

Oh, right.

And it wasn't exactly any of her business, anyway.

Yawning, Sakura suddenly realized that she'd been standing and staring for minutes now—how stupid. She looked longingly at the books for a while, before shaking her head and tightening her grip on her bag. Sighing, she tried to locate the stairs, and found that it was in the middle of the room, dividing into two sections: the half right in view, stopping to a small landing, before turning into the second half, completely disappearing from view. Silently, she climbed the stairs.

The couch would have been fine, but she didn't think Sasuke would be too rude as to not provide a room for her. Best if she'd just crash into that room, and spare him the irritation of wrinkling his sofa covers.

The upstairs was just as dark, and just as spacious as the first floor, but this time, there were no dividers. There were four rooms, two on each side, their doors facing each other. The hallway was narrow, and had wooden floors. Again, it was sparse.

Contemplating, Sakura eyed the doors. The nearest one was the one on her right, and she could only guess that it would be Sasuke's room. It seemed right—especially considering the blue door. Of course he would choose the blue door.

And it actually helped that on the door, there was the symbol of the fan.

Go figure. _Of course_ that would be his room.

The second nearest one was located on the left, and after much staring, she realized that the door was a color somewhere between orange and red. She wrinkled her nose, not really liking it. Her favorite color was red, it always had been—but that didn't mean she liked _every_ red-colored combination. That would just be crazy.

Shaking her head again, Sakura finally ventured to the farthest room on the right—the one she deemed a safe choice. The door was simple, and brown, the same shade as the floor.

Simplicity was always the best, anyway.

Silently, she turned the knob, and slowly opened it. She yawned again, closing her eyes a bit—she was so tired already, it was unbelievable. She was sort of glad Tsunade made her go home early, because she knew if she went on healing someone else for the night, her chakra would surely suffer—a fact which always escaped her when already in the moment. She knew she was being abusive, but really...who _wouldn't_ want to heal people? At least even if she depleted her chakra, someone benefited from it...

Her musings stopped, when she heard something run.

Water.

Felt someone's chakra.

Sasuke.

Shocked, for she had never expected he would be here, she opened her eyes. Squinted in the darkness.

Froze.

It was the last sight she expected to see.

Eyes widening, heart thumping—­_shit, oh shit!_—she took in what was in front of her, her shock keeping her from moving. There was Sasuke, alright—inside a fogged-up glass divider, his palms flat on the tiles in front of him. His head was down, his hair flat and wet and covering his face as water cascaded down his raven locks. As water cascaded down his body.

Even in the fogged glass, she could clearly, very clearly see his backside.

His naked, pale backside.

The water running all over it.

A part of Sakura knew the best thing to do was to leave. Her mind was panicking, and it was quite obvious he was preoccupied with something—he still had not noticed her presence yet. If she left, then he wouldn't even have to know she was here. At all.

But for the life of her, she couldn't seem to tear her eyes away.

Sakura stared, as his palms moved on the tiled walls—an action which brought the muscles on his back clenching, bunching. Shifting. He was lean, and so toned and defined, some faint scars doing nothing but accent those muscles. Her mouth went dry. Her pounding heart was already blinding her ears. Her—

She stopped thinking, as his palms shifted again—this time removing themselves from their position on the wall, and reaching out for something just below the running showerhead. A soap bar. Sakura stared, as he lathered that soap up in his two hands. Rubbed it, until soapsuds came about. Slowly, she watched, as he let that bubbling soap bar glide on his neck...his chest...his stomach...his—

She couldn't see anymore, because of the fog.

But it didn't take a genius to figure out just where his hands were rubbing now.

He groaned, softly.

She dropped her bag.

Without thinking anymore—_shit, oh shit!—_Sakura stumbled backwards again, panicking to the fullest now. Intent on one thing, and just one thing. Escape.

She ran. She ran, and she didn't look back.

She should have known it was safer to look back.

Almost before she could reach the stairs, a movement appeared behind her. The next thing she knew, she was suddenly grabbed, turned around, and roughly shoved to the wall, her back on it. A kunai was placed on her throat. Sharingan eyes spinning.

A wet, hard body pinning hers.

Her throat went drier. Her mind blanked.

Her breath caught.

Oh, Kami.

Could she please just _die _now?

"Saku—dammit, what the hell were you doing?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Her green eyes were locked on his, clouded with what could only be termed as panic, and the wild urge to bolt and shriek. Her body was frozen, pinned on the wall, her hands limp on either side.

It was his body doing the pinning.

With more shock than anything (_liar, liar, liar_), Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan, and stared at the person in front of him. He had leaned his head close, as he would on an enemy, and so in the process, was dripping his wet hair all over her. His hand, which was gripping a kunai on her throat, loosened, aware of the fact that if he had taken more than now to recognize her, said throat would have already been slit, with blood spilling from it.

"Sakura, I asked you a question."

As if coming out of some sort of trance, Sakura blinked. Stared again.

Then she closed her eyes, and started struggling.

Suffice to say, it made his body react, in a way that left him almost wanting more. The feel of her softness, squirming against him...it was only natural that as a man, he would react. Of course he would.

It didn't help that the dream had suddenly started to seep back into his mind.

Angry all of a sudden, Sasuke did the only thing he could, before he did something he would regret. With all the self-control left in him, he stepped back, away from her, and into the farthest corner, on the wall across.

He frowned.

"Sakura, why are your eyes closed?"

Slowly, Sakura turned bright red.

"Well, what do you expect?"

"What does that mean?"

"What do you mean _what does that mean_??" she shrieked, eyes shutting tighter. Her hands clenched. "Y—you're naked! _Naked!_"

Blinking, Sasuke looked down. Indeed, he was.

But that was beside the point.

"That doesn't explain what you were doing in my bathroom, Sakura."

"I didn't know that it was your bathroom," she blurted out, tumbling over her words. It would have been amusing, really—_if _the circumstances were different. He might have even smirked.

Instead, he glared.

"That doesn't explain what you were doing in my _house._"

"I—you—moving in—Kami! It was dark and I thought you were out and I was _sleepy_! You asked me to move in, what did you expect?!" Her eyes, previously closed, opened now, the irritation radiating in them. She glared back at him. "And Kami! Who takes a bath with the lights _closed_?!"

He ignored the questions, and merely stared her down.

Startled, she stopped glaring. Then, as if just realizing that she had her eyes opened, she backed up against the wall again, and immediately put a hand over said eyes. Her cheeks, which had already gone back to normal, began turning red again.

"I—I didn't see anything, okay? I was—erm, looking at your face. To glare. Not...uh, down there. I—I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Surprised, he looked at her. Knowing her temper, he hadn't expected her to apologize so quickly, and in a way, it almost rendered him to apologize back—_almost—_for being rough with her.

He ended up choosing not to speak.

With a sigh, Sasuke turned back to his bathroom, turning off the water still running in the shower stall. Then he bent down to grab the duffel bag that she had dropped—it was that action that had made him realize that someone was in his house, and it annoyed him that he hadn't felt her chakra earlier.

Being distracted was no excuse.

When he returned to her, he saw that she was still leaning on the wall, her eyes back to being closed. Her pink hair hung limply around her, slightly dripping at the ends. Her clothes were wet. They were clinging to her, accentuating certain curves, and the outline of the underside of her breasts, and...

It took him a moment to realize that she was wearing thin, very thin chest bindings. Almost transparent now.

Averting his eyes, and cursing himself inwardly, Sasuke began to grow angry again. Without thinking, he stalked over to her, and reached to take her wrist.

She jumped.

He grunted, and pulled.

"Come on. I'll show you your room."

"Are—are you dressed?" she asked hesitantly.

"No."

She squeaked, and tried pulling away. "Go—go get dressed first!"

Irritated, he only pulled more firmly. "Stop being annoying."

Opening the reddish-orange door, he dumped the bag in. Then slowly, he nudged her inside, trying to ignore the fact that their skins met, and his had instantly gone heated at the contact.

"You have a bathroom," he said shortly. "One door inside, the other one outside. So stop going to my bathroom."

"I wasn't—"

"Or sneaking in like some thief."

"I said I—"

"Or doing whatever the hell kind of foolishness you seem to be so fond of doing."

"But I—"

"I won't tolerate it. Goodnight."

And he slammed the door. Hard.

From inside, he heard a muffled voice. It sounded like an angry scream, or a frustrated one. He heard the word jerk, before a stream of curses suddenly ensued.

Ignoring it all, Sasuke went back to his room. He sighed.

Then he silently slipped in the bathroom, and took another cold, cold shower.

He desperately needed it.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**a/n: Well, there you go. Another chapter! I know Sasuke's rude here, but don't worry. He won't be rude all the time. Anyway, t****his will be the only chapter for day three. Day four will be next.**

**Oh, yeah, I changed the rating to M, by the way. Just in case. Hope it's alright, guys. ****Enjoy. :)**

**P.S. To Saide: Hi! You've got your PM off, so I don't know how to reply to your message. Turn it on, ok? :)**


	8. Tangled Together

**Day Four**

**Tangled Together**

At eleven o'clock in the morning, with the sun at its sunniest and the hospital practically teeming with activity, Sakura knew the most sensible thing to do was to stay there, and do the things she was supposed to do. Check some papers. Read some scrolls. Do some rounds. Assist some operations. Hand out some instructions. There were lots of responsibilities, really, and only a person with a seriously warped mind would ever blow off such responsibilities, considering the wrath of the Hokage if said Sannin ever did find out.

Yet here she was. Outside, standing in the training grounds. Looking on, as Sasuke and Naruto sparred, like they usually did—with too much intensity, and what she presumed would result to too much injuries.

With a sigh, Sakura tried not to complain, as her two old teammates shouted the usual insults at each other. She had a purpose here—and she was darn well going to see it through.

"Are they still going to take long?" she asked, trying not to make her tone seem like a whine. Whining was for kids, really—and she pretty much didn't want to delve into memories of how whiny _she_ used to be when she was still around twelve years old.

Beside her, Suigetsu—the only other person present to observe the training—cocked his head, and gave her a thoughtful look. He was leaning on his sword, which he had just sharpened (or so he bragged) for the better part of the hour.

"Aren't we pretty cranky today?" he murmured, a smirk forming in his face.

Alright. So maybe she was a bit whiny. Just a bit.

"I am _not_ cranky," she muttered, not looking at him. She folded her arms, and stared straight at the training fields, and the two men moving there. "I'm just hoping they'd finally stop and rest."

Silence—with the exception of flying insults in the air.

"You _are_ cranky," Suigetsu insisted, his voice sounding certain. Sakura let herself look at him now, and immediately, she saw that his smirk had gotten wider. "You didn't get any sleep, did you?"

_No._

"Of course I did," she scoffed airily.

His eyes glinted. "Doesn't look like. I don't blame you. I bet what's with the moving in, you guys have been at it like rabbits til' dawn—oww!"

Immediately, Suigetsu dropped his sword, and went to rub his head in slow, soothing circles. He winced. "Jeez—what's wrong with the truth?"

"That is not the truth!" Sakura snapped, glaring at him in irritation.

"Well...you're lovers, aren't you? Karin was pretty much bitching about how she so wanted to be in your place—well, alright, she didn't _exactly_ say it, but you get what I mean. She wants to be the girlfriend so she could fuck him like the crazy and make Uchiha babies."

The images of Uchiha babies with red, spiteful eyes and mouths as crude and loud as the red-haired kunoichi filled Sakura with an unexpected shudder—so not something she wanted to think about. She opened her mouth.

"We're not fu—" Instantly, she shut her mouth, and cursed herself inwardly. But Suigetsu, observant guy that he was, already caught on.

"You mean Sasuke still _hasn't _ravished you?" Suigetsu exclaimed, his eyes widening.

_No._

She remained silent, and instead turned a bright red in the cheeks.

"You guys still _didn't _have sex?" he went on, tone incredulous. "Is he freaking _insane_!? A hot piece of—er, I mean _girl_ like you, in the same bed with him...and he still didn't do a thing?"

"We don't—" _sleep in the same bed._ Sakura closed her mouth again, turning even redder.

"Don't tell me you don't share a bed."

_No. Of course not._

"Of course we do!" Sakura nearly snapped.

Suigetsu stared at her for a moment, his hands going back to rub his head. After a while, he bent down, and picked up his sword. Then he leaned back against it.

And he grinned.

"Hmm...that kinky to tell, eh? Ah, well—at least I have something to tease Four-eyes about. Well, I'm off now. Got some criminals to torture. See you around, Sakura."

Silence.

Sakura was just glad that nobody saw her turn from red to an absolutely unattractive shade of violet.

Half an hour later, with no one to talk to and the insults and chakra clashes going louder and louder than ever, the pink-haired kunoichi couldn't really stay still anymore.

"Hey, guys!" she hollered, cupping her hands to her mouth to intensify the sound. "Take a rest already!"

She was pretty much thoroughly ignored, as usual.

"HEY! NARUTO! RAMEN!"

And, as usual, the sparring stopped—at least on Naruto's part. The blurs (because they were pretty much blurs in the speed they were moving at) turned into real shapes, and pretty soon, the blond loudmouth was running eagerly in her direction.

"Hiya, Sakura-chan! I didn't see you until now!"

Sakura merely rolled her eyes, and motioned for Naruto to take off his shirt and sit, so she could heal him. She knelt on the ground, and proceeded going over his wounds (_too many_ scratches, in her opinion) in careful precision. From her right, she could feel a familiar shadow looming not far off, and decided to ignore it for a while.

"Neh, Sakura-chan...why are you looking so haggard today?"

Sakura merely glared, and went on healing.

"I mean, you still look pretty, but the bags under your eyes are very bi—"

"I get it, okay?" she interrupted, rolling her eyes again. "Stop rubbing it in."

Naruto frowned. "Sorry. But...hey!" Immediately, he went to glare upwards, at somewhere behind Sakura. "Did the teme not treat you well on your first night in his house?"

"Dobe." The voice came from the same direction Naruto had been glaring at.

"Teme! Well, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked impatiently, still frowning. "Did he not treat you well last night?"

_No. He was being a complete, annoying jerk._

"He treated me well, Naruto. Don't worry," Sakura replied—though she did so with slightly clenched teeth. Fortunately for her, Naruto didn't seem to notice. After some more minutes, she finally finished the healing, and tossed his shirt back to him. The blond quickly donned it back (totally oblivious—or uncaring—of the sweat already sticking to it), and stood up. Then he held out a hand to boost her up.

"I totally forgot—Hinata's coming home today! I can't go to lunch with you—I promised to take her out on a date!"

Sasuke scoffed at this, while Sakura beamed. She was glad to see that Naruto had finally taken the time to get to know Hinata, because really—that amazing girl deserved it. Waving him off, Sakura quickly cut off Naruto's endless chatter, and made sure to yell 'change your outfit first!' as the blond sped up ahead.

And then, there were just two.

And suddenly, Sakura grew nervous.

"Sasuke-kun, we need to talk."

But she was _not _going to show it.

No way.

"Hn."

The truth was, she didn't just _not_ sleep last night—she also hadn't been able to close her eyes. Not physically, of course. It wasn't like a sickness or anything, because that was just crazy. _Of course_ she could close her eyes—she just didn't feel inclined to do so.

Because everytime she did...she was plagued by images. Pleasant ones. Like a body pinning hers, wet and wonderfully hot. A man in the shower, so wonderfully chiseled, his hands rubbing skin and body. Because she had an overactive imagination, it didn't take much for her to imagine those hands rub in certain part of _her_ body, making her moan and writhe as it did so—and, imagining that, it didn't take long for her to toss and turn in bed, using every curse word she knew and trying not to get too hot and uncomfortable (and really—just trying to erase the images away).

It was so pleasant, it was _horrible_.

And there was no one to blame but Sasuke.

Snapping out of her thoughts (which were, to her irritation, already veering back to the so-called pleasant images), Sakura tried to steel herself, and not let it affect her. She turned around, and stared at said man, who was actually standing in front of her (though not very close), his arms folded. He wasn't looking at her, which wasn't very surprising.

"You have to stop treating me like shit," she blurted out, without further ado.

He was looking pretty injured, but not really. There were just scratches here and there, and no blood at all. Of course, she couldn't really tell, considering he was still covered up from neck to feet with his usual training wear (aka dark shirt and dark trousers).

He turned to look at her now, his face without emotion. "You have to stop barging into my house like that," he said gruffly.

"I didn't mean it," Sakura protested, feeling her face grow hot (because the images bombarded her again) and her irritation spreading (because the images bombarded her again). "And you would know that if you at least let me explained last night. You were being a jerk, and I _hate _that."

Well, at least she was still pretty calm.

"You were annoying."

For about a minute.

"I'm _always _annoying to you, even when I'm not!" she snapped, glaring now. He didn't reciprocate the glare, which was unfortunate—considering she really, _really_ wanted to vent at him. It would be unfair to do so if he just remained stoic. "Why are you always like this?"

No reply. Raven bangs blew in the wind, as he turned his attention back to the fields, and looked on in silence. With a sigh, Sakura pushed her own pink hair away from her face, and imagined it as her temper being pushed away.

_Calm down, girl. Be rational._

"Please, Sasuke-kun. Let's call up a truce. No more insults. Or rudeness."

He still wasn't looking at her. Sakura assumed this meant a no to the truce thing—and though it annoyed her, she really couldn't do anything about it (unless she gagged him and tortured him until he was forced to agree). Trying not to sigh again, she turned around, thinking that maybe coming here was a waste of time, and she should have just stayed in the hospital in the first place.

A hand on her wrist stopped her, before she could walk away.

Surprised, Sakura looked up—and stared straight into equally staring onyx eyes.

"Heal me?" he half-said, half-asked.

That was his equivalent to a yes.

Her annoyance faded, and instantly, she was giving him a little smile.

The smile wavered a little, when he remained staring, and his hand remained on her wrist. That would have been alright—except that the tiny contact was already starting to give way to tingles on her skin. Hastily, Sakura removed her hand from his grasp, and went on with her gestures.

"Sure," she replied, motioning for him to sit down and do as Naruto did. He sat, carefully. She waited.

When it seemed like he wasn't going to follow, Sakura cleared her throat, and knelt down beside him.

"Er...shirt, Sasuke-kun."

He looked at her quietly, making her blush—then, instantly become annoyed with herself for blushing. She steeled herself again. After a second or so, he finally nodded, and placed his fingers at the hem of his dark blue shirt. He tugged it off.

It was all Sakura could do not to stare as his muscles rippled right before her, at his movements. Her mouth unconsciously went dry. She'd seen it thousands of times already, in the past. Other shinobi doing the same, removing _more. _She should be used to it. Heck, she'd seen it last night.

_In the shower. When he was naked and glistening and rub—_

"I wasn't being rude. You really were being annoying last night."

Snapping out her reverie, Sakura tried to focus on the present Sasuke, and follow on to the conversation. When the words finally sank, her mood took a crash again, and she ended up scowling.

"I wasn't being annoying, you jerk!" she bit out. "You're just too egotistical—"

"Now who's being rude?"

"I—you—I can't believe you!" Her temper getting the better of her (she didn't sleep, of course she'd have a temper), she glared at him again, and poked him in the ribs aggressively.

He hissed out in pain. Her eyes widened.

"Oh—oh, Kami—you have a broken rib?!" Immediately, her temper went up a notch, and now she was _furious._..no, wait. Furious _and _horrified. "You have a damn broken rib and you just stood there like some idiot and didn't tell me? What are you, fucking sadistic?!" For a moment, she wondered why she didn't see him in pain when he took off his shirt—then her temper dissipated (a bit), when she realized that she _hadn't_ noticed because she was too busy staring at his...er, abs.

Now she was only horrified.

"Stupid jerk," she muttered, sidling closer and touching his skin with fluttering hands. He winced, but not too much. "Stupid bastard. Stupid _pride._"

He glared. "You're annoying."

"Shut up," she snarled, glaring back. Then she proceeded ignoring him and infused chakra in her palms, using it to hover over him and gauge just how badly injured he was.

It wasn't bad, but he should have definitely told her about it minutes earlier—specifically even before she healed Naruto! After all, injuries like this would only get worse if not treated immediately. Trying not to curse under her breath anymore, Sakura let her senses concentrate on the shifting of bones, the stitching up of tissues. Of muscles. She began healing him.

"You could have been infected," she muttered distractedly.

"Hn."

"Do you even care?"

"Do you even stop talking?"

"Do you even stop being a bastard?"

"You're anno—"

"And stop it with that statement already. It's getting _old._"

She knew he was glaring at her, even when she couldn't see it. She let him, and focused on the task at hand, stitch by painstaking stitch. She knew healing could be painful, especially without any sort of painkillers. So, medic instincts kicking in, she added extra chakra into her hands, to soothe the process.

After about some minutes or so, the ribs and any internal injuries finally became normal again. Just to be sure, Sakura let her palms hover further, from ribs to chest, and other parts as well, to see if he had any more. Seeing none, she let her chakra dissipate, and closed her eyes a bit in exhaustion.

This no-sleep thing really was getting to her. Maybe it was a good thing that she had only half the day on duty—and it kinda made her guilty that she just about blew off at least an hour of that duty time. Well, no matter. Maybe the rest of the day could be spent resting, and then going back to the hospital, and then—

"What are you doing?"

Her eyes snapped open, at the sound of his voice. She looked at him in confusion.

"...healing you?"

He scoffed. "Well, you're done, right? So take off your hands now."

Sakura looked at her hands—and to her utter mortification, she saw that they were still plastered all over his chest, palms wide open. Not hovering...but _touching. _When awareness kicked in, she felt the tingles coming again—in an instant, she was pulling her hands away, as if scalded.

"I—I didn't—" she stuttered.

He glared. "If you like to touch me so much—"

"What!" she exploded, gaping in disbelief.

"You heard—"

"Do you think I actually like touching you?" she hissed, poking him in the ribs again—this time, he didn't wince in pain. His glare simply grew more dangerous. She ignored it. "Well, I don't! And if this pre—"

"Sakura," he hissed out in warning.

"Shut up! Nobody's around to hear it!"

As if on cue, something rustled in the bushes. It was faint, but it was there—along with some really whispery, really faint titters that distinctly said the words 'breaking up' as they continued. Then, the rustling stopped.

They both froze in response.

"You'd better fix this," he muttered, his mouth moving, but not so much.

"It's not my fault," she growled softly, still scowling.

"Hn." Translation: _yes, it is._

"Well, I don't think—"

"Stop backing out, Sakura, and be useful for once—"

If she was irritated before, she was infuriated now.

"FINE!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "IF YOU WANT ME SO MUCH, THEN I WON'T BREAK UP WITH YOU ANYMORE!"

His eyes widened, as if in disbelief. She didn't know what possessed her to say that, or to do what she did next. Maybe it had to do with the fact that he insulted her, again. Or the fact that he never seemed to acknowledge her as anything but annoying and weak. Or that he was just crowding her mind too much lately, and she has finally had enough.

It was time to prove herself—and to prove that he. Meant. Nothing.

And she didn't—wouldn't—feel anything for him.

So she did the most unthinkable action there was. Without further ado, Sakura yanked his ears.

Then she crashed her mouth into his. Hard.

It seemed to surprise him, because he resisted—but, stubborn girl that she was (and mighty determined at the moment), she kept a firm grasp on his ears, rubbing them as she did so. She kissed him, alright—with all the passion and anger and pent-up frustration she could muster. His mouth was closed, but at the moment, it didn't really matter. She only kept on kissing, kissing and kissing, closing her eyes, wanting to block out everything but that single contact of lips. She wasn't even feeling anything.

Just fire.

Just hunger.

Just a tingling sensation of addictive heat.

And it was growing.

But it was nothing she couldn't handle.

When it looked like Sasuke had stopped resisting, and had only remained frozen in place, Sakura let her hands gentle, and start to roam softly at the sides of his neck. It wasn't for her benefit, of course not—it was so that the fangirls would believe, would go away. If they saw her doing this, then maybe they'd see that there was no way they could ever have the guy. They would finally give up. Sighing, she let her tongue trace his lips, feeling him stiffening. A wave of triumph passed through her, but not before she had to pound away the completely, unreasonably intoxicating scent of his masculinity. His sweat.

Oh, yes. She could definitely handle this.

Last night's images were just a fluke. Too much overactive imagination.

_Of course_ she was crazy to think she'd be affected.

Gauging that the kiss had finally gone on long enough, both to satisfy herself and the hidden watchers (and him, because he was the one who asked for the fixing in the first place), Sakura made a move to end it, by disentangling her lips from his and gliding away.

But it wasn't over.

Before she could move further, hands settled on her waist, firmly. She was so surprised, she opened her eyes back, and opened her mouth, to ask what he was doing. The question left her, when she saw his onyx eyes on hers, intent and watching.

And smoldering.

No. Not emotionless anymore. They held a spark of challenge.

Her throat went dry.

Suddenly, said hands pulled her closer, so abruptly that she couldn't pull away. Her clothed front bumped into his naked one, her hands in between. She was straddling his one leg. Before she could comprehend what was even happening, his face came closer.

And he was suddenly kissing. Her. Back.

Shock filled her all over.

His mouth was hot, hard and persuasive—and coaxing hers in a way that should have annoyed her to the fullest, if she knew what was good for her. It didn't. It didn't annoy her in the least, because that was the last reaction she could think of, considering how her body was heating up, considering how her mind was swirling in a myriad of incomprehensible thoughts. Considering how her heart, which was only pounding a bit rapidly before, was now palpitating like an incessant beat in her system. Deafening.

Exhilarating.

The tingles became an explosion of lust, all in a mere matter seconds.

His hands started gliding, under her shirt. Her skin trembled. His mouth kept on moving, teeth nipping her bottom lip almost restlessly. Her breath hitched, and she nearly, very nearly whimpered. She tried to tell herself that whimpering was a big no, and she would never, ever do it.

His tongue slid out, and touched her lips. Her teeth. Her insides.

Teased her tongue out, to touch and taste his.

Sakura didn't whimper.

But she moaned very, very softly.

She could no longer see properly, or hear properly, or smell properly—she was blind, the buzzing was all she could hear, and he was all she could smell. It was making her dizzy, and making her insides smolder painfully in her belly, waiting to get stoked higher, waiting to burst—

"Sakura," he rasped, into her mouth.

"Sasuke-kun," she whispered, her hands fisting in his hair. Then, gliding down...

"Sakura," he growled, nipping her lips harder.

"...Sasuke-kun?" Her hands unconsciously smoothed over his chest.

"Stop."

"...?"

"Let go now."

"I...what?"

It took a moment before the words could register, over the haze. She hadn't realized that she had pressed even closer, her thighs now practically molded his own—even with the barrier of pants and skirt between them, the heat could be felt so clearly...everything in her ached. Sakura stilled, when he put his mouth near her ear, his mouth touching it.

She was not affected.

She was not affected.

She was _not _affected.

His mouth moved.

"Stop," he murmured, voice low. She shivered.

Oh, Kami.

She _was _affected.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He didn't know which he could feel more intensely—the feel of her lips on his own...or the feel of her innocent knee nudging very close into his arousal.

Too close.

Her scent was everywhere, filling his senses in the sweetest, yet worst possible way. Lemons. Sweet, sweet lemons. She was like...air. So refreshing. So invigorating.

So dangerous when cut off.

He knew, in the deepest part of his mind, that this had to stop, because this was uncalled for, and not part of anything he had ever planned in his life. For his life. No. Being an Uchiha always meant control, determination.

And damn if he let her ruin that.

When her knee shifted dangerously closer, and when his own hands glided just to where he ached to touch the most, he knew it was time to break it off, before his control could leave him completely. Could snap completely.

He was never going to allow that to happen.

"Stop," he ordered softly, voice even and trying not to groan out in frustration. And something else. He felt her shiver, and told himself it was the cold—she was cold, and her body was reacting. That was it.

And that was it for him, too.

Slowly, his hands shifted away from the heat of her skin, just at the very tips of her soft, lacey bra. His fingers itched, badly. He ignored them. Gently, he put his hands on her wrists, and pried them away from where they rested softly on his warm, bare chest. He ignored the vanishing of the warmth, too, and the demands of his still pounding, still thrumming blood.

The uneven beatings of his heart.

_Sakura..._

He moved her off him, and stood. Then he offered his hand down.

After a few seconds, she took it, and stood, too. He could all but feel the way the simple contact made his fingers itch again, to pull her closer and finish—

"What was that?"

He abruptly pulled his hand away, and stared emotionlessly into her confused—and now darkened—green eyes.

"Nothing," he replied, turning his head towards the fields so as to not be lip-read, and making his voice carry on so only she could hear. "It meant nothing, Sakura."

It was nothing. It was completely nothing.

_Nothing._

Because he wasn't watching her, he didn't see her look of confusion instantly flicker into something else—then it was gone, as quick as it came.

Silence.

"I—"

"Go to sleep, Sakura. You need rest. And don't bother me again."

He nodded once. Then he began to trudge off, in the other direction.

Sasuke expected a comeback, because really—that was Sakura. She _always_ seemed to have a comeback, to whatever he said or did. He expected her to yell, and to rant and hiss and demand that he be polite and whatever the hell she wanted him to be.

Instead she spoke, calmly. Firmly.

"We are not finished, Sasuke-kun. I still need to talk to you."

"No—"

"Eight o'clock tonight. We're going out."

"Sa—"

"That's final, Sasuke-kun."

And she kissed him on the cheek, softly. Handed him his apparently-forgotten shirt. She whispered in his ear, one more time.

"Rudeness is not very charming, you know. I won't give up removing that annoying quality from you."

Then, with a few hand seals, she vanished, in a whirl of wind and a fall of pale pink petals. Her scent lingered in the air.

It was then that Sasuke realized that Sakura, for the first time in many years, had just asked him out on a date again.

And for the first time...he didn't say no.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Ino?"

"Yes, Tenten?"

"That was hot."

"Oh, my Kami, Tenten...are you being a _pervert_?"

"Shut up! It was you who invited me to snoop. I'm _dying_ from the heat of cramming in this little bush."

"Ooh, so you're in heat, eh? Why not let Neji—"

A warning growl. "_Ino_..."

A smirk. "Okay, okay—just kidding. But, well, I had to make sure. I have a bet to win, after all."

"Well, are you convinced now, you little gossip? It's all over Konoha that they're together, anyway, so I don't know what you're trying to sneakily sniff out at all."

A pause.

Then blue eyes sharpened mischievously. "Hmm."

When Sasuke disappeared, too, Tenten finally sighed, and stretched her muscles from their stiffness at remaining in a position for far too long. "Ino?"

"What, Tenten?"

A mischievous grin. "You are _so_ gonna run around naked in Konoha."

An equally mischievous grin. "We'll see."

And both women laughed quietly, at the silliness of everything. But deep inside, Ino had to wonder if she had done the right thing, making a bet like that. She knew Sakura—and she knew what those dazed, darkened green eyes meant.

She only hoped her naive, innocent friend wouldn't fall too deep in the end.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

From another corner of the forest, three voices whispered to each other.

The first one was jealous. "You know she has to go down, don't you?"

The second one was furious. "Yes. That bitch deserves it. She's gonna pay, right?"

And the third was calm, eerily so. "Of course."

Silence.

Then there was a smirk. "And we'll make sure it's painful."

And the three laughed, cruelly, as they got lost in their own nasty thoughts.

_Revenge._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Yet in another part of the training grounds, just beside the thick brown twigs of leaves and fruit-bearing shrubbery, a lone girl watched, unconscious tears falling from her eyes. She watched, from the moment the kiss transpired, to the moment both raven and pink disappeared. She was furious. She was jealous. She was hurt.

She was heartbroken.

And to her, it was the saddest feeling ever.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**a/n: Whew, finally finished it. You wouldn't believe how busy schoolwork is...but i'm glad I've done this. Hope you enjoy reading, because there's more to come. Definitely. Next chapter: continuation of day four.**

**And lookie - Sasuke still isn't giving in. And Sakura, too. Wonder if they ever will?**

**Review equals Love! So...share your love, please! :)**


	9. Emotions

**Day Four**

**Emotions**

It wasn't his fault that he was in a bad mood for the rest of the day.

He had snapped at Suigetsu. Been harsh with Juugo. Insulted Naruto. Pretty much pummeled Sai on their spontaneous afternoon _friendly_ spar. Splintered lots and lots of trees.

Scorched lots and lots of wood.

No, it wasn't his fault.

It was _her _fault.

"Neh, teme...so how is the little love-life going on with our favorite pink-haired teammate?"

"Hn."

It wasn't something he cared to talk about—particularly since it was already invading his mind just about every possible hour. Or minute. Or whenever his brain deemed necessary, even when _he _didn't. Needless to say, Naruto should have gotten the gist when all Sasuke emitted was a very blunt, very dismissive little grunt.

But the blond had never been quite fast at picking up hints.

"Hah! I knew my plan would work! I _knew_ it!" Naruto exclaimed, obviously taking the grunt as a yes. Waggling his eyebrows, Naruto began jumping around, looking very hyper and very proud of himself. "I am the absolute genius, aren't I? I am the _man!_"

Sasuke glared listlessly, before scoffing and sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Dobe."

Naruto merely rolled his eyes. "Teme." After a while, a grin spread on his face. "But you know I'm right, don't you? You know I am, because it worked!"

Sasuke was about to open his mouth and tell the other to shut up, because really—Naruto was being too loud for his own good, with a voice that could carry on for miles...and it didn't exactly help that whenever the topic was broached, the Uchiha's mind would suddenly have this annoying habit of wandering back to this morning's...erm, heated events, and effectively ruining his mood all over again.

But someone beat him to it.

"What worked?" a very feminine, very sultry voice asked.

Sighing, Sasuke turned his head, and sent a very annoyed look to the person who had spoken. It wasn't Karin, because he knew if it was, there would already be an arm attached to his at this very moment, and a red-haired head trying to snuggle into the crook if his neck. This girl, in the meantime, just stood there, an arm's length away, and looked on in polite interest.

Though there was really nothing polite about the way she was gazing at him seductively.

"Saori-chan!" Naruto spluttered, looking at the female in surprise, and with panicky eyes. Saori merely smiled at him politely, before turning her pale violet eyes to Sasuke.

"Hello, Naruto...Sasuke-kun," she said huskily, coming closer to place a gentle hand on his arm. She smiled again at Naruto (who blushed and fretted at the attention), before looking back to the hand she had on the Uchiha's arm. "What worked?"

"Nothing!" Naruto squeaked, torn between nervousness and admiration for the woman beside them. Sasuke couldn't exactly blame him, because in truth, Hyuuga Saori was indeed a beautiful woman—and was considered one of the most eligible maidens that walked the village of Konoha.

Though Sasuke knew, firsthand, that she wasn't a maiden anymore, and hadn't been for a long time.

But that was the past. And it was best if he forgot about those darkened nights altogether.

"It was nothing, Saori-chan," Naruto continued, gesturing with his hands jumpily. "I was—I was just talking about—er, the jutsu not working! Yes, the jutsu I was trying to teach the teme here!" He beamed afterwards, as if proud of his explanation.

Saori hummed an okay. Then, she let her hand trail on Sasuke's arm, slowly. Sasuke gave her a warning look—but she ignored it, and kept on trailing.

"I've missed you, Sasuke-kun," she murmured, softly.

He ignored her.

"My bed has been very...lonely," she continued, putting her mouth near his ear. Since her voice was low, the sentence should have been meant only for him.

Who knew the dobe had such sharp hearing?

Naruto stared at them with his mouth hanging wide open. "T-teme! You—her—what—"

"Shut up, Naruto," Sasuke warned.

"But—you—her—together—"

Saori smiled. She put her head even nearer.

"What the hell is going on?!"

But before she could put her mouth even closer, and attempt a seductive kiss, a hand was slapping hers away. Sasuke would have been relieved—until he saw that the hand that had done the slapping was attached to red hair, and red eyes glaring for all she was worth.

As if on cue, a yelling voice immediately surrounded the air.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, bitch?!" Karin demanded, hands on her hips. "Stop being near my Sasuke-kun!"

From behind her, Juugo was trying not to involve himself too much in the action—though from his stance, it was obvious that he was ready to interfere if ever things got too rowdy.

Naruto merely kept on staring at Saori, his eyes now nearly bugging out of their sockets.

Sasuke wished people would all just go. To. Hell.

From where she was standing, Saori looked pretty calm, herself. At Karin's declaration, she merely raised a perfectly arched eyebrow in disdain.

"Your Sasuke-kun?" she inquired, her voice tinged with a hint of absolute disbelief.

Karin glared harder. "Yes," she very nearly snarled. "My Sasuke-kun!"

Saori smirked. "Funny. And here I thought your beloved Sasuke-kun already belongs to someone else." Slowly, the pale-haired beauty shifted her eyes, and lit up with something when her sight honed in on someone.

"And looks like that someone is here."

Before Sasuke could understand what she was implying, Saori smiled, again.

Then she pulled him, and began to give him a passionate, thorough kiss—just like all those years ago.

The bag of fruits a certain someone was carrying instantly fell with a soft thud to the ground.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She was surprised. Sakura tried to tell herself that was the real reason why she had dropped the goods she was holding in her hands, why she had somehow lost her grip on them. It wasn't everyday you saw the stick-up-his-ass Uchiha get caught off guard so easily, or even allow it to prolong. Heck—it wasn't everyday you saw an Uchiha _kiss_ someone.

And this someone wasn't even his _pretend _girlfriend.

Sakura tried to convince herself, over and over again, that that was why she was surprised. Shocked. Flabbergasted.

Yet why did her insides suddenly feel so...hollow?

It must have been seconds—heck, it seemed like _minutes_—but finally, the kissing pair abruptly broke off their heated liplock. Or rather...

Karin did it for them.

"What the hell—get off him!" In an instant, she was yanking the woman away, and pushing her off as far away as possible.

Then she began to glare daggers.

"Listen here, you stupid woman—just because you want to make Pinky here jealous doesn't mean you have the right to do that!" At the word pinky, Sakura slightly bristled. "If you think you're gonna get away with what you just did—heeey! Are you even listening, you whore?!"

Karin stopped speaking, and became intent on glaring harder, when it was obvious that the woman was not even minding her. Sakura ignored Karin as well, and focused her attention on the sight in front of her.

It was quite a sight, alright.

Naruto was gaping, his jaw so wide it was about to drop to the ground. Juugo was edgy, looking between Karin and Sakura, as if trying to decide what to do. Sasuke, as usual, was glaring—though it wasn't certain whom the glare was solely directed at.

The woman was utterly silent, a serene smile on her face.

She looked familiar, was the first thought that came into Sakura's head. For a while, she let herself contemplate. The woman was beautiful, with a sweep of light sun-colored hair, trailing silkily down one side of her shoulder. Violet eyes, that were so unique it was absolutely noticeable—and they were very, very pale. She was wearing a dark red kimono that accentuated her every curve, and showed off creamy, sexy cleavage that hinted at the allure that was just hidden (barely) beneath. She was coming towards Sasuke again, despite Karin's temperamental attempts at keeping her at bay. Sauntering carefully, the woman sidestepped the redhead's angry launches (which, at this point, Juugo was now trying to prevent), and simply put a finger to her mouth. Rubbed it.

Then slowly, her head turned towards Sakura. Green eyes met violet.

And thin, lipstick-coated lips smirked.

The finger on the lips rubbed again, as if...emphasizing.

The hollow feeling in Sakura's chest only deepened.

"So this is the new girl, eh?" the woman said, eyeing Sakura in speculation. Sakura unconsciously bristled again, but let herself merely look back at the woman, expression placid.

"She's pretty enough—if you're into the skinny, bony type."

At the sweet-sounding comment, Sakura reacted more noticeably. But she still remained silent.

_Three._

_Two._

-

For about five seconds or so, anyway.

It was Naruto who broke the silence first.

"Hey! Sakura-chan's really, really pretty," he protested, looking at the woman in confusion and defiance. As usual, everybody ignored him.

"We need to talk," Sakura said, at the same time.

But not to the woman.

She was looking directly at Sasuke, daring him to contradict her. He remained silent, and instead kept on glaring at nobody in particular.

He didn't even so much as look at her.

The woman smiled. "So...not a fighter, eh? Pretty mellow, this one. Unlike that red-haired bitch—"

"Hey!" Karin protested, trying to struggle against Juugo's firm grasp.

"—who yells about random stuff," the woman purred smoothly. "I almost wonder, Sasuke-kun, if she's as good in bed as I am when we do those really kinky and pleasurable—"

"Saori, I think it's about time you leave."

The woman's words were registering in Sakura's mind—but, before she could feel sickened or shocked, or even so much as react, a blur of black and blue was suddenly moving, until he was standing right in front of her. He gripped her wrist, pulling her closer.

Then he spoke to his back.

And _still_ did not look at her.

"Saori, leave—or I'll make you. Dobe, go home. Karin, calm yourself. And Juugo...take care of Karin."

A millisecond pause.

"Make sure nothing happens to her like before."

And then, before Sakura could protest again (_look at me, you idiot!_), she was suddenly dragged inside, the door opened and shut with a bang. She was suddenly pulled even closer. Pushed to the wall. Pinned, with an eerily familiar body (_didn't this happen before already??_).

Green eyes met black.

And before she could say something—

—or do something—

—or even so much as take a breath—

She was instantly silenced, in the most unexpected way.

His mouth suddenly crashed into hers in a hard, searing kiss.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She was protesting, and he supposed that was normal, considering what had just happened. Because of Sakura's natural strength, it was hard to pin her to the wall, and to make her wrists and hands stop moving—or her body, for that matter.

She was not cooperating.

And it was important that she cooperated.

With one last decision, Sasuke did the only thing he could think of.

He kissed her harder.

Her lips were sealed tight, moving in muffled, defiant sounds of protest—he covered them. Her body was struggling, trying to buck and throw his off—he was undeterred, as instead of throwing him off, it merely ground against his own.

He couldn't help the blood that was leaving his head, and rushing down somewhere below his stomach.

_Saori never did this with one kiss._

He tried to ignore it, and continued kissing her, as if his life depended on it. As if this was not pretend, and they were a couple in love, with no doubts and suspicions and problems whatsoever.

"Mff...!" Sakura protested, into the kiss.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. Forcefully, he pulled her hands down from the wall, and put it in front of them both. He tore his mouth away, and quickly put it on the skin near her ear. He was out of breath, and so was she.

"You bastard, how co—"

He cut her off with a very light, very distinct whisper.

"Saori's father is a Hyuuga. She's looking at us through the wall right now."

Sakura instantly froze, her movements of defiance stilling at once.

"What?"

"Her chakra is strong, so I know this. She's observing."

Silence.

"You kissed her," Sakura murmured, to his ear. He imagined she was gritting her teeth as she said it. "You kissed her and—"

"She kissed me," he corrected, his lips barely moving to form the words. Slowly, he started nibbling—trailing from her ears, and slowly moving down, to the side of her jaw. He found that her scent was the same, and so was the taste. Lemons. Woman.

Soft, soft skin.

He ignored it, and told himself he was only doing a good job at the acting.

Slowly, Sasuke looked her in the eye.

"And now, I'm gonna kiss you," he said.

It was all the warning she got before his mouth covered her own again.

She didn't protest. He thought she would—this was, after all, Sakura, who always wanted to get herself and her opinions heard. Who was feisty beyond belief, and not above making sure that in itself was known. Who annoyed you until you were willing to pull out your own hair from your scalp.

She didn't protest.

Instead, Sakura opened her mouth.

And she slowly let him in.

It was another kiss again—similar to the second one they shared, just hours earlier in the morning. Openmouthed. With too much passion, and too much blazing heat. It shouldn't have surprised him anymore—this was, after all, Sakura, who always had too much energy in her petite body. Whose feistiness extended on other things, which definitely included kissing. Who would hold out her own, and make sure this pretend thing worked, because she had promised—and whatever Sakura promised, he found she always, always fulfilled.

She melted against him.

There was a loud roaring in his head, but that was easily forgotten as her tongue shyly came out, and touched his own—the same one that had been busily tracing her lower lip. There was a duel again, a dance of sensuality, that only stoked the fire higher, burning them both inch by inch, degree by degree. He nibbled once more, and let his hands roam, finding skin underneath the cloth, hot and smooth and velvety. Soft, so soft. She sighed. He let his hands glide further, and felt her own sliding across his neck, touching and stroking in a way that had his stomach clenching, had him sucking in his breath. She moaned.

He let his mouth disentangle, and latch on to the tempting skin on her exposed neck. Silky. Creamy.

She whimpered. Trembled.

She gripped his hair, as if _her_ life depended on it.

And she called out his name, in the neediest voice he had ever heard.

"Sasuke-kun..."

His mind exploded in a color of visions. His blood exploded in a color of lust. He was suddenly filled with thoughts all over again—thoughts and visions which included skin against skin, mouth against mouth. Legs wrapping around him, grinding core against core. Thrust after thrust, moans and groans melding together. Now all he had to do was take her away from this wall, and carry her into his room. Take off her clothes, and put his mouth in places that would make her call out his name over and over again. Scream it. Take her, and let himself have his fill with her. Touch her. Taste her.

All of her.

It took Sasuke a moment to process his thoughts.

It took him another to realize that his hands were inching down in places they shouldn't be—one under her skirt, and the other about to cup one plump, bra-covered breast.

But what was more...it took him a few more to hear what she was saying.

"Sasuke..."

And what she said, however throaty her whisper was, had his senses coming back, and had him realizing that this. Was. Not. Right.

"Sasuke..."

She had emitted the _kun._

And she had brought him back his dreams again.

"_Sasuke..."_

Sasuke stilled. Froze.

Then he abruptly, quickly tried to disentangle from her.

However...she didn't let him.

She tightened her grip on his shoulders, keeping him in place. He resisted—she persisted. Slowly, Sakura looked up. Stared at him.

Witchy green eyes. Swollen, bruised mouth. Because their lips were only inches apart, he felt their breaths mingle—harsh at first, then dwindling down into calm, even takings. His mouth itched, and once again, so did his hands.

He resisted—she persisted.

"Sasuke." Her voice was soft, calm.

"Sakura." His was just as steady.

"...did you sleep with her?"

Silence. They kept on staring at each other, expressions unreadable.

"Yes."

A pause.

"In the past."

Silence. Her eyes flicked downward for a while, as if staring at the hands curled on his shirt.

Those green orbs flicked up again.

"What did she do to Karin?"

He should have known Sakura would figure it out too easily. Carefully, Sasuke let himself sense around. There was no observing chakra anymore—there weren't even any noises.

They were now alone.

"It's none of your business, Sakura."

Her green gaze faltered. But only for a while.

"I see," she murmured.

He resisted again.

This time, she let him go.

They stood there for a moment, him staring at one part of the wall near her shoulder. She...well, he didn't know where she was staring. He didn't care.

_Liar._

"She's gone," she said, her voice sure. He merely grunted.

Silence.

"Sasuke?"

_Don't call me that._

"Hn."

"The kiss—"

"Is pretend," he stated—much like he did in the training grounds. It meant nothing. Nothing.

Nothing.

"Sasuke...kun."

A pause.

"...we still have a date. Get dressed in half an hour."

And suddenly, before he could say anything more (not that he ever planned to), she was levering herself off the wall, and walking off to the direction of the stairs. His eyes followed the movements—not wanting to, but doing so all the same.

She stopped for a while, and looked at him over her shoulder.

Again, green met onyx. One determined, the other blank.

"And I'd prefer it if we don't kiss anymore. It's not good for the system."

Then she turned.

And she left.

As Sasuke stayed there, staring at the now-empty stairs, he found that she was right.

Kissing Sakura was definitely not good for his system.

It was time to stop doing it altogether.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She had donned on a simple white blouse, and swirly emerald-green skirt that she knew accentuated her eyes, and made them look larger and clearer than usual. Simple flat sandals, that were the same color as her blouse, and very comfortable to the feet. No make-up—but a pair of silver earrings dangled from her ears. Her hair was tied, in a clean ponytail that left nothing but little wisps to flutter on her face.

He was dressed just as casually as she was.

They went out to this little restaurant that was named _Bisutoro_, and reserved a table for two—it was easy enough, considering how one look at Sasuke's face had the waitress suddenly scurrying around to meet his request, with hearts in her eyes and a bounce in her gait. She had tried flirting with him afterwards—to no avail, of course. Sasuke, as usual, was ignoring the attempts.

And it didn't exactly help that Sakura was giving off a very killer aura to said waitress.

For the role, of course.

Everything was just for the role.

When the waitress had gone (with a very dejected look on her face), Sakura tried engaging in conversation. She tried the cheerful approach, smiling and laughing and generally being Miss Delightful Sunshine with her constant chatters, and constant updates of what was happening around town lately, be it gossip or important stuff—to no avail. She later on tried the sweet approach, coyly trying to make him talk, and show the public that they were a couple in contentment, with sweet gestures (like wiping his tomato-stained lip—_ignore the sexy tongue licking the lip already!_) and quiet murmurs (_can you at least murmur back?_)—to no avail. Lastly, she tried the interrogation approach—asking him stuff, badgering him to tell her something. Anything. To mutter at least one single nice word.

To. No. Avail.

All she had managed to get out of him was a predictable "You are annoying"_—_and a grunt that they should leave while it was still early.

Nevertheless, it had her mood plummeting down, in an instant.

Not that her mood had ever been good to begin with.

It wasn't that she was mad. Heck—she didn't even know what she was feeling. One minute he was kissing some tall, violet-eyed goddess who must have come straight from some men's fantasy magazine or something (_alright, fine—the woman kissed him, not the other way around!...but he didn't push her away!_)...and the next, he was dragging her (_her,_ as in Sakura) off. And then kissing her senseless, until she could not longer breathe properly. And then telling her that woman was some Hyuuga (she realized later that the woman was actually Hyuuga Saori, who was Ino's one true envy in looks and body...and yes, wealth). And then...kissing her senseless once more—until she couldn't breathe _at all_.

He was a very, very good kisser. Toucher. Whatever. His hands were on her skin, everywhere, and heating her up in places that made her shiver and whimper (_I don't whimper!)_ and had her wanting to beg him needy and greedily to—

_Stop. Don't go there._

And then he just had to go off and tell her that it meant nothing. _Nothing_.

Not, of course, that she was expecting it to mean anything. Not in the slightest. She knew it was pretend, just like every interaction they had was. Nothing more, nothing less. Nothing _meaningful._

But still...it was all his fault she had dropped that bag of really fine mangoes earlier—mangoes that she had harassed a really greedy vendor to sell her at the right price in at least about an hour. A damn tiring hour, after she had _not _taken a nap, and instead had gone straight to the hospital, to fulfill her duties again (duties that she had rudely blown off earlier, because of _him_). The fruits had been for him (_and yes, for me!_), anyway, considering all he ate lately was ramen (courtesy of Naruto) and some really bland rice balls (he was not a good cook, that's for sure).

Yes.

All. His. Freaking. Fault.

They had finally arrived at the steps to his apartment, the silence between them unbelievable.

And suddenly, she couldn't take it anymore.

Just who did he think he was?

"You know, you are the lousiest date ever."

"...hn."

He just _had_ to say that, didn't he?

There were some barely audible gasps in the background (_go away, damn fangirls!_), which had Sakura's impatience only thinning all the more. Ignoring them, she planted her hands on her hips, and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't you _hn _me. The least you could do is treat me nicely."

"...shut up, Sakura."

He opened the door. She glared at him, and stalked in.

"Don't tell me to shut up. I am _not_ going to shut up, because I need to make up for your lack of conversation skills. Do you know how _tiring_ it is to talk your mouth off just so I could keep this relationship thing going? You stoic bastard, don't you—"

"Sakura, you're loud."

He shut the door.

"Well, it's not like your stupid fangirls are here to hear, anyway! You've got a damn chakra hearing system protecting your walls, anyway, so I can shout all I want—and I'm pretty sure that Saori whoever-the-heck-she-is would not stoop so low as to spy on us right now! And if she is, then _fine_! Let her assume this is some twisted, _kinky_ and _pleasurable_ foreplay!"

"Sakura."

She wasn't jealous. Of course not.

She had no right to be.

"Don't Sakura me," she snarled, her eyes smoldering up and practically spitting fire. She stalked off into the kitchen, intent on a glass of cold water to cool her down. _Control temper, control temper, control temper_— "All I ever wanted was for you to treat me nice—the way you do Team Hebi sometimes, even Karin. Or Kakashi, or even Naruto—"

"Karin is different."

The sentence had Sakura stopping in her tracks, her hand gripping the refrigerator handle.

"Well, yes. She's whiny and petty and—"

"She was there for me when I killed Itachi."

Something in Sakura's heart cracked. Something in her ached. She closed her eyes, and tried not to let it show. It wouldn't, of course, considering she wasn't exactly facing him.

She didn't know what she would do if she was.

_I was there for you, too, Sasuke-kun._

"You shut me out," Sakura murmured, her voice soft and even—the traces of impatience and anger were now gone, as quickly as they had come. "What was I supposed to do, Sasuke-kun? You shut us all out."

"I had to do it."

_No, you didn't._

"I was your friend. I would have helped you."

"We were never friends, Sakura."

She had once thought it would never hurt again. She had once thought she was over it.

"You were just a fangirl. You cared only for my looks, you never saw who I was."

_I did. I did, Sasuke-kun._

_I cared._

She was wrong.

"So stop pretending that you know me. Because you don't. You don't, Sakura. You never have."

_You never let me._

"You never will, so stop trying."

Slowly, Sakura opened her eyes, and removed her hands from the fridge handle. She turned around. Looked at him.

And tried very hard, with all her might, to tell herself it had just been infatuation. She was not affected.

She will never be affected again.

"If you say so, Sasuke-kun," she said in agreement. Sakura inclined her head. Nodded.

Shut out Inner Sakura, who was torn between crying her eyes out, and trying to pummel him to the ground.

"If you say so," she repeated. Accepted.

Sakura walked away. Sasuke didn't stop her. Both of them didn't acknowledge the new bag of mangoes in the kitchen counter, which Sasuke already knew was there, anyway.

She walked away. And as she did, she shut all emotions out, just like she knew Sasuke would. Had.

_I don't love you. I won't._

_It's not right._

That night, Sakura slept. Dreamed. Of previous broken hearts, and broken dreams, and broken hopes of self and comrades—and things that were better left where they belonged, anyway. In the past.

She didn't cry at all.

She never would again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**a/n: Big delay! Sorry...been so busy with exams (_killer_ ones, too!). Anyway, here's the conclusion to day four. Enjoy. It's got drama, I guess (even though the genre's supposed to be romance/humor), so bear with me. It not entitled _Emotions _for nothing.**

**Anyway...I just had the most reviews for the last chapter (nearly a hundred!)...and...wow. I am so overwhelmed. I love you, guys! Seriously. Thank you for sharing your love!**

**Next chapter: day five. More big things will happen! Stay tuned! (hehe)**

**So...share some love again? Would you?**

**Review! And happy reading! :)**


	10. Wildflowers

**Day Five**

**Wildflowers**

Maybe the best thing to do had been to keep her mouth shut, and just let him brood, the way he always did. She should have just ignored it, and went on with her business, just as he did. She should have not let her temper get in the way, and should have not her emotions get the worst of her.

She should have kept in control.

She should have not have gotten angry. Or hurt.

...she should have just _quit_ that stupid bet while she still could.

But what happened has happened.

And there was no turning back now.

That morning, Sakura had woken up early—at a time when the sun was still far away from rising, and the coldness was like a blanket that would freeze you up if you kept in it for long. She had woken up, and gotten dressed, and gotten out—out of the place that was choking her up, suffocating her in a way that it hadn't before. She got out, and went to the one place that she had always gone to whenever she felt too lonely, or whenever things in her life were at odds with the concept of something called happiness.

She was lonely.

She wasn't happy.

...and she had no one to blame but herself.

_And him, Sakura. And him._

She couldn't really think about that yet, because she didn't want to think about...him.

Sighing, Sakura wrapped the heavy blanket around herself, and stared on in almost-contentment at the fields surrounding her place (she had always called it that).

Her place, which was the cemetery.

It should have freaked her out, to stay like this in the dark, where people had died, and bodies were buried—with only their spirits and souls left, either mourning or restless, or happy or relaxed. Not that she had seen one, of course. But the idea was there. Still, the truth was, she wasn't really scared of it. Ever since her parents had died, two years ago, on a freak accident that most civilians (_a proud papa and a simple, loving mama_) should not have experienced (a stupid, fucked up travel mountain-vacation-climbing accident), she had been coming to this place whenever she could find the time—and that time was found almost always, despite her busy schedule. Despite her strange way of life.

This was the one place that always, always calmed her.

So she stayed there, until the sun rose (and what a beautiful sunrise it was). She stayed there, even when she saw her own ex-sensei venture there (a tiny dot among the carved stones, and very far away from her), to visit his own precious people, as she knew he did every day he was here in Konoha. Because she saw the look on his face, and saw that it was something that she should not be seeing, she had kept her chakra hidden, and had turned her back on him—as she did every time she encountered him in this place, because he was a grieving man (_even after all these years, Kakashi-sensei?_), and a grieving man was always, always entitled to his privacy.

When she had turned back around, he was gone—probably off to a mission, or off to train. She knew he knew she was there (as he always did, however much he ignored her), but like before, no words were exchanged. She respected his privacy, and so did he. Maybe someday, they would speak and acknowledge...but not now, not yet.

She stayed there, until the wind warmed, and the blanket was already useless.

And pretty soon, she finally felt her heart calm down. Her hurt mellow.

It always, _always_ worked.

"...Sakura?"

The voice was familiar. The footsteps were light, and not what she expected of a man his built, and his size—but then again, he was a shinobi. Most things were usually unexpected when it came to a ninja.

Sakura's face flitted into a ghosted smile. It was already past noon, and the sun was at its high.

She had been there for almost nine hours.

"Hello, Juugo."

She didn't turn to look at him, but instead kept her gaze on the thing she had in her hand—the thing she had been holding since sunrise. She smelled it for a while, before turning to finally look at the big man, who was standing quite hesitantly behind her.

She gave him a soft, small smile.

"Wanna sit down?"

He smiled back, and gently (gently, because he'd always been a gentle man, and Sakura had never changed her opinion on that, even when most people doubted) walked the path, to sit beside her.

"Thanks, Sakura."

They stayed in silence for a moment, looking at the view, at the fields, at the flowers...at the carved stones. He tilted his head when he read the carved names on the little gray stone right in front of them—almost as if regarding it solemnly. After a while, he turned to gaze at her.

"When did they die?" he asked.

"Two years ago. Accident," she replied softly.

He nodded his head, and didn't ask further questions. Juugo's gaze drifted from her face, down to the soft, yellow object she was thoughtfully holding.

"I'm glad you like the mangoes."

She blinked at his sudden shift of topic.

"Huh?"

"Sasuke asked me to buy it. When you guys were...on a date."

"...oh." Somehow, she hadn't expected that.

_But what did you expect, then? That bag of mangoes suddenly just magically appeared out of nowhere?_

Yes.

He wasn't supposed to be considerate.

He had never been considerate.

To keep her thoughts away from him, she simply smiled at Juugo, and kept the mango near her nose again. "Thanks, Juugo. I've always loved the smell of mangoes. They're really nice."

"He's been looking for you."

Sakura blinked again, once more not expecting the sudden change of topic.

But then again, Juugo wasn't really the type of person who strayed from the point.

"Not that he's been saying so or anything," he continued, eyeing her calmly. "But I know Sasuke."

She remained silent, and kept on smelling the mango.

"Sometimes, he doesn't really mean what he says. It's a defense mechanism. He's never let anyone in, because he's always believed that that is the way of getting stronger."

"And he's always wanted power, doesn't he?" she wanted to say, coldly. But she restrained herself, as Juugo kept talking.

"He's a good person. He just...doesn't know how to show it. None of us know how to. But he's always taken care of us, and he never let us down, Sakura."

She _knew_ that. Did nobody think she knew that? Did people really think she didn't care, she didn't love him—

_Whoa. Back up._

Her thoughts stopped abruptly, and her head snapped up, at the last few words that had just...popped out of her brain. She considerably paled. Where the hell did that come from? Of course it wasn't love. _Of course._ This, whatever she was feeling, was just infatuation. Just attraction. It was undeniable, considering how handsome the man was, how attractive, how good with kissing and touching and making her feel—

_Stop, Sakura. Stop._

—like she would burst with too much emotion, too much unexpressed want. Considering how she wanted him to let her in, even for once—

_Dangerous ground. Stop treading on dangerous ground._

—so she could finally see the real him.

So she could finally heal him.

_Because inside, he is just a boy, waiting to be loved._

But what was she doing, thinking that she could be the one to give that love?

Panicking slightly at where her thoughts were heading, Sakura let the mango drop from her hand, and fall on the soft grass with a dull thud. Her fists unconsciously clenched, hanging on to the fabric of the hem of her skirt, as if for dear life. She looked up, and saw that Juugo was giving her a worried gaze.

She looked back down, and closed her eyes.

"Sakura, what wro—"

"It's all pretend," she blurted out. She felt silence beside her, not the condemning kind. Sakura glanced up—he was still looking at her, his eyes showing a bit of surprise.

She sighed, and began to tell him everything.

"He wants to get rid of his fangirls. And what better way than to have a pretend girlfriend to ward them off? It's—listen, whatever you think, the sweetness that you see, it's not for real—"

"What's in it for you?"

She stopped talking at his question, and gaped. Then she nearly, very nearly blushed.

"What makes you think there's something in it for me?" she mumbled.

"I didn't mean it that way," he started to say gently—but she cut him off.

"No, no, you're right," Sakura muttered, shaking her head. She took a deep breath, steadily keeping her eyes on the fields. "I had a bet with a friend. A harmless bet. We were drunk, and were just being foolish. That's what's in it for me. He doesn't know about it. Nobody knows. Only me, and you, and...my friend. But I—I'm not going to hurt him."

Silence.

Sakura looked away from the fields, and looked straight into his staring, silent eyes.

"I'm not going to hurt him," she repeated, "if that's what you're worried about. So...don't worry."

Silence. He simply regarded her, his expression thoughtful. Sakura didn't feel uncomfortable at all, and she supposed she could thank the sort-of bond the two of them shared for that. It was kind of relieving, to finally get to talk to someone about it.

At least then, she wouldn't be thinking about it too much.

_You wish._

After a while, he finally spoke.

"You say it's not for real. The sweetness...what you guys show us in public."

She smiled a bit. "No. he proposed the idea—well, actually, Naruto proposed it. And he had to accept, if he wanted to...live a fangirl-free life."

"_You were just a fangirl. You cared only for my looks, you never saw who I was."_

Her smile faltered, but she tried very hard not to let the words affect her. "It's only for a few days, anyway. Pretty soon, we're gonna go our separate ways, and things will be back to normal."

"Sakura?"

"Yes?"

"Are you sure it's not for real?"

Her heart pounded. Her smile faded.

_Is it not real, Sakura?_ Inner Sakura piped up, uncharacteristically soft, and not yelling.

Kisses in the dark. Touches that ignite. Murmurs that make you forget everything. His voice, his eyes, his lovely, lovely hands.

Emotions that never failed to stir something inside of her.

No. It couldn't be real.

It _couldn't_.

She shook her head, to convince him. To convince Inner Sakura.

To convince herself.

"No, Juugo," she whispered softly. "It's not for real, on both sides."

"But...you're friends, right?"

"_We were never friends, Sakura."_

A pause.

A deep breath.

"Yes, Juugo. We're friends."

_Liar._

Juugo still remained silent.

But after a while, he finally nodded.

"Alright."

They became quiet again, him thinking, her contemplating.

"_So stop pretending that you know me. Because you don't. You don't, Sakura. You never have. You never will, so stop trying."_

_Since when have you ever quit, Sakura?_

Suddenly, a determined light came into Sakura's eyes. Inner Sakura was right.

Since when has she ever stopped trying in anything?

Maybe they weren't going to be anything special to each other. Maybe after this, they would be back to becoming strangers.

But she'd be damned if she just gave up this easily.

"Juugo?"

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Where are his parents?"

Juugo stared at her in surprise once more. "What?"

"His parents. They're not anywhere here. Where are they buried?"

He kept on staring at her some more, his face a picture of hesitance. Then he sighed.

"The Uchiha Compound," he replied softly, a moment later. "He never goes there. None of us does. It's...he doesn't want it. He tried once and...he couldn't."

Something in her heart ached at the thought—but she shut out that particular emotion, and tried to think of this as a step, towards becoming his friend.

They were going to be friends. They were going to be.

Friends. _Just_ friends.

Even if she had to beat him up senseless until he finally relented.

_Or kiss him senseless, until he moans out our name._

Inner Sakura giggled, high spirits renewed.

"Alright," Sakura murmured, mostly to herself. She stood up, bringing her blanket with her. She held out a hand.

"Where are we going?" the giant of a man asked.

She smiled. "To pick some flowers."

Silence.

Slowly, Juugo smiled back. Then he took the hand she offered, and together, they walked out of the graveyard, and into the fields, where they found themselves out of troubled thoughts, for the first time that day (because Sakura had been troubled, and Juugo, a friend—_yes, a friend—_had been worried).

Nobody saw the pair of smug, malicious eyes behind a tree, contemplating. Nobody felt the concealed chakra.

And nobody saw the smirk gleam from satisfied, triumphant lips.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Dobe."

"Teme! Where the hell have you been? Training has started _hours_ ago and you damn well know—"

"Have you seen Sakura?"

The blond's speech (for it was going to be a speech, that was for sure) stopped, and he began staring at his calm, raven-haired friend-enemy-rival.

Slowly, blue eyes gleamed, and a Cheshire cat's grin appeared.

"What, you wanna go make out with your _girlfriend_?" he asked loudly, voice taking on a teasing tone. "Because I bet you would just enjoy that—HEY! OUCH! THAT WAS MY FACE YOU WERE HITTING!"

"I know."

Naruto glared, and pretty much snarled. "IF YOU THINK YOU'RE GONNA GET AWAY WITH THAT, YOU ARE DEAD WRONG—"

"Kakashi."

From his perch up in a tree, Kakashi didn't look away from his orange book.

"Yes, Sasuke?" he drawled lazily.

"Have you seen her?"

A pause.

Kakashi's eyes remained on his precious pages.

"...no."

"Why are you looking for her, Sasuke-san?" Sai asked, pleasantly.

"It's none of your business," was the cold, short answer.

Then he was gone, in a puff of smoke.

"TEME! TEMEEEEEE!"

And Naruto was pretty much left yelling to himself.

And cursing all over the place.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When she arrived there, with a bouquet of colorful, lovely wildflowers in her hands (flowers that Juugo helped pick, before he went off to meet Suigetsu for training), and a small, nervous smile on her face (because this was the first time she would ever set foot on his place, his sacred place), the sight beholding her wasn't what she first thought she'd see.

First off, the place was _clean._

And it wasn't empty.

Hadn't Juugo said that nobody set foot here anymore?

"Pinky, what the hell are you doing here?!"

It seemed he was wrong after all.

Her smile fading, Sakura turned to the familiar voice in surprise. Karin, who had earlier been kneeling in front of a dark gray headstone, face peaceful and serene, was now standing up, hands on her hips and a glare on her red eyes.

It wasn't, to say the least, something that Sakura expected to witness (the serenity, not the glare). Ever.

There were flowers all around the little Uchiha family graveyard. Colorful flowers, arranged in such neat and attractive (and painstakingly so) fashion. No dead leaves, no dead grass. They looked like they've been weeded recently.

They looked like they've been weeded for months.

"You've been coming here all this time?" Sakura asked, a bit awed and more than a little shocked. The truth was, she would have expected Juugo to do something like this. Or Kakashi. Heck, even Naruto.

But...Karin?

"Since when, Karin?"

Karin stiffened, and only kept on glaring.

"It's none of your business!" she snarled. "And what are you doing here, anyway? You're not supposed to be here!"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You're not supposed to be here, either."

Karin appeared flustered at that—but she quickly recovered, and stalked over towards Sakura, hands fisting at her sides.

Suddenly, before Sakura could react, said hands came up, and quickly snatched the flowers from the her hands. Without warning, Karin threw them on the ground, and proceeded to viciously stamp on them.

They became crushed in a matter of seconds.

With a snap of her head, Sakura's shock instantly became a very, very different emotion.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she demanded angrily, her own green eyes now glaring back.

"Getting rid of you!"

"That was rude!"

"I don't care!" Karin bellowed petulantly.

"You don't—"

"Shut up! Shut up, Pinky!"

"PINKY! Why the hell do you always—"

"I said SHUT UP!"

"Do _not_ tell me to shut up—"

"SHUT UP, SAKURA!"

Sakura was so surprised with being called by her first name (and not Pinky), that she actually shut her mouth for a while. But then, frustration quickly kicked in, and she opened her mouth again.

"Why the hell are you being like this?!"

She had expected a snarl, or a scream, or a very evil glare. She had expected an insult, a sarcastic comment, or a slap on the face, just like before. Heck—she'd even expected to be told (or ordered, more like) to shut up again. She readied herself, and her own fists, just in case, because no way was this red-haired know-it-all going to do _those _things and get away with—

"Because you took him away from me!"

Sakura stopped.

She stopped completely.

Not because of the words.

But because of the completely shattered look on Karin's face.

..._Karin?_

The anger was gone now, easily so. Karin's chin trembled—though she steadied it quickly, stubbornly. But there was no denying the hurt in her red eyes. The misery.

Slowly, Sakura's own anger dissipated, as she could only stare at the other in shock.

"You took him away from me!" Karin repeated, her voice unsteady now, but still loud. "You—you stole him! He _cared_ for me! He cared! And—and—you just—you just..."

Her voice had gone softer, quieter.

"You just...messed it all up."

Smaller.

"He's all I have. He's all I've ever wanted—and you just _had _to take him away."

Barely even heard.

They weren't the words of a fangirl. They weren't the usual declarations of adoration, or infatuation, or attraction.

They were the words of a girl who was in love.

With none other than Uchiha Sasuke.

What was she supposed to say?

"Karin—"

Karin turned away, wiping her tears viciously. She quietly faced the gravestones. "I see the way he looks at you. The way he touches you. You took his love, you bitch. You—you just damn well took it away."

Sakura's heart pounded. Her head spun. Not because of the insult—the insult was barely even registered.

_He doesn't look at me in any way._

_He doesn't_.

_You're wrong._

"Karin, I—it's not what you think."

Karin laughed bitterly. "Shut up. Just shut up. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to see your fucking face." Her voice was determined. "This is my place—I take care of this place!" Her voice was cracking. "Go and fuck him for all I care—" Her voice was trembling. "—because I won't! I won't care! I won't—I won't—"

Her voice was gone.

And the moment of weakness had finally. Burst. Through.

The dam had broken, as Karin, the ever-bitchy, ever-whining, ever-annoying fangirl, who was always so tough—

—always so courageous—

—always so determined to get her way—

—_because that's who she was, and she, Karin, in the end, always got what she wanted—_

...sank to the ground. Covered her face with her hands.

And cried, very, very softly.

"I need him," she whispered quietly. Pleadingly. "I want him."

So, so brokenly.

"I love him. Please, Sakura...don't take him away. Don't take him away."

Karin rocked silently into her hands.

And Sakura felt her heart squeeze so, so helplessly.

What was she supposed to do?

_Is it not real, Sakura?_

It wasn't. It isn't.

Sakura didn't love him.

She _didn't._

_Who are you trying to fool, girl?_

"Karin..."

_I'm giving him back._

_He's all yours._

_I don't want him._

"...I'm sorry."

Silence.

"I won't give him up."

_Not yet._

_Say not yet._

"I won't."

_I can't._

"Why?" Karin asked, through her tears.

_Because I might be in love with him, too._

Sakura's heart pounded, all over again. Her eyes widened.

..._am I?_

Was she?

She didn't get to answer, because all of a sudden, a whizzing sound was instantly heard, and pain radiated, slick and fast.

And a kunai was suddenly embedded on her shoulder.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Suigetsu."

"Oi! Sasuke! Where the hell have you—"

"Where is Sakura?"

At the question—and the interruption—Suigetsu merely shrugged. "How should I know? I'm not his boyfriend—not that I _don't _want to be, considering how super hot she is...erm, I mean, I didn't see her," he amended, when he saw something dark flash in the Uchiha's eyes. Jeez. Talk about possessive.

In an instant, Suigetsu's hasty expression became a wide, wide smirk.

"You miss her, don't you? Damn lucky man, getting to fu—er, I mean, make out with her all day long and—heeey! What the hell—why did you just toss my sword??"

The raven-haired man didn't reply—he merely scowled, and walked away.

Suigetsu sighed, and grumbled about abuse and his beloved sword.

But his complaints stopped at Juugo's next words.

"She's visiting your loved ones."

Slowly, the Uchiha stopped walking.

Slowly, he turned around.

"What?"

Suigetsu nearly winced, at the cold harshness of the tone.

Quietly, Juugo repeated his statement.

"She's visiting your loved ones."

Silence.

Then in a whizz, Uchiha Sasuke vanished, leaving a shocked Suigetsu and a rather calm Juugo behind.

"Shit, Juugo—do you want Sakura _dead_?"

"He's not gonna kill her."

Suigetsu could only sigh again.

He sure as hell hoped not.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It happened too fast for her to comprehend what was actually _happening_.

First, there was suddenly a kunai deeply attached to her shoulder—there would have been more, even, if she hadn't moved at the last possible second.

She was bleeding pretty badly. But it wasn't as bad as the wounds that Karin had gotten from the multiple shurikens stuck on her legs.

"AAARGHH! AAARGHH! Who the hell hit me?! AAARGHH!" The red-haired kunoichi was screaming like a banshee.

Next, there were suddenly three chakra presences behind Sakura. She turned around, and saw that it was the same three girls who had followed her to the bar, just a few days ago—the night she had declared (or rather, Naruto had declared) that Sasuke was her boyfriend.

Fangirl number one had a very wide smirk on her face.

Fangirl number two and three were glaring.

And they each had a kunai in their hands.

Instantly, Sakura was on defense mode, and shielding Karin with her own body. She glared in return at the fangirls, and removed the kunai from her shoulder, healing it at once. She grasped the bloody kunai hard.

"Are you alright, Karin?"

"I am NOT alright!" Karin screeched. "I have multiple weapons stuck on my damn leg!"

"But you'll live?"

"I said I have multiple—"

"Karin, answer the damn question!" Sakura snapped.

Karin appeared startled. But she finally nodded her head.

"I'll live," she mumbled.

Satisfied with the answer, Sakura nodded back (though she wasn't even looking at the red-haired girl). Then she finally turned her full attention to the three triumphant females.

Green eyes considerably darkened.

"If you have something against me, don't take it out on her," Sakura stated, quite coldly.

One of the girls shrugged. "She was annoying. And her crying was so lame."

Karin snarled. "SHUT UP! I WASN'T—"

"Don't hurt her," Sakura said, ignoring the other. "I said if you have something against me—"

She was interrupted by a rather cruel laugh. "You? Why would we have something against you? Why do you always think it's all about you, Pinky? You're _nothing _to us. Just a piece of trash, really. A stupid slut."

Sakura's temper went up at that. "Then if I'm nothing, why are you doing this?! What are you trying to do?! Kill us?!" Sakura demanded angrily.

They didn't answer. Instead, they aimed the kunais straight for her chest. Sakura easily dodged, taking a screaming Karin with her.

"No," another fangirl said, almost sweetly. Victoriously. "We're just putting the blame on you."

And Sakura, despite her readiness, didn't anticipate what happened next.

_BOOM!_

She should have.

There was an explosion—so loud, and so strong, that the force almost sent Sakura reeling backwards. She didn't fall down—but she did manage to accidentally drop the red-haired girl from her arms, sending her tumbling down on the ground.

Karin cursed, and clutched her wounds in pain.

Sakura stumbled, but held on to her feet. She steadied.

She stared.

Not at Karin.

But at the damage that was suddenly, inevitably around her.

_Oh, Kami. Oh, Kami, no..._

The graveyard was completely destroyed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_He ran as fast as he could, at the sound of the explosion._

_He stopped._

_He stared._

_And what he saw made his blood run horribly, horribly cold._

_Pretty soon, Sharingan eyes blared wide open._

_And there was no mercy present in them._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The fangirls had vanished, even before the explosion was finished. Even before Sakura could retaliate.

And the next instant, before Sakura could decide what to do, she was suddenly grabbed on the shoulders, and pinned so brutally against a tree that it got her breath for an instant, and a gasp escaped from her lips.

Then the gasp died, and her throat went dry, when she finally saw who it was pinning her.

When she saw the cold look (_too cold, too cold_) in his dark Sharingan eyes.

Something in her became very, very scared.

"Sasuke-kun! What the—"

"What did you damn do?"

She was so startled at his question, she could do nothing but stare at the moment. Then, realization set in, and her startled expression immediately became one of defiance.

"What? I did nothing! How could you think I—"

"She placed explosive kunais on the tombstones."

Her protests died, at the sudden sound of a voice.

_No._

It couldn't be.

But Karin, eyes on the ground, and still lamenting over her injuries, continued speaking.

And what she said next had Sakura's defiance shifting to unbidden, all-out shock.

"I tried to stop her," Karin said quietly, tears running silently down her cheeks. "And—and she tried to—she tried to kill me."

Sakura became instantly numb.

"Karin...what—Sasuke-kun—you can't—"

"Why?" he merely said coldly, cutting her off.

_I didn't do it._

"Sasuke-kun...I—"

"You hurt her. You fucking destroyed this place. My family's only memory. Why?!" The cold look was gone, and in their place was nothing but fury. And hurt.

She couldn't speak.

"Is this your way of trying to get into my life? Are you trying to mess with me?!"

She still couldn't speak—even when his one hand left her shoulder, and settled around her neck tightly.

Something in her was breaking, breaking slowly.

Surely.

"Stop fucking with me, Sakura. Stop lying."

His hand tightened even more.

"Stop pushing yourself where you're not wanted."

_I didn't do it._

_I didn't._

_I care._

_I care, Sasuke-kun._

But she couldn't say the words, because something in her was suddenly frozen.

Sakura could only watch in a daze, as Sasuke's grip on her neck loosened. As his Sharingan eyes disappeared. As he let her go, and strode quickly to Karin, to carry the red-haired girl _(woman),_ carefully making sure her wounds weren't touched.

He didn't look back at her—instead, he spoke on his back, his front facing the now-crushed gray stones. The upturned soil.

The burned flowers.

_I didn't do it._

"Get out."

The kunai dropped from her hand, unconsciously.

_Why won't you believe me?_

"I didn't..." Sakura murmured quietly. "Sasuke-kun, I didn't—"

"Get out. I don't ever want to see you again."

A tiny crack.

"Pack up your bags. And don't ever come back here."

A bigger crack.

"It's over...Haruno."

And then...he was suddenly walking away.

And she couldn't help, couldn't stop her numbness from vanishing. Her knees from weakening.

Her heart from painfully, painfully cracking.

Breaking.

_No._

_Don't break._

_Don't you dare break!_

She didn't know what made her say the next words.

"You're a monster."

He stiffened, and stopped.

"You're a monster, Uchiha Sasuke," Sakura said silently, her pulse racing.

Then steadying.

Then...dulling.

"And you're right. We were never friends. And I don't care. I hate you."

_Liar._

"I hate you so, so much," she whispered, her voice still steady. "I will hate you for the rest of my life."

"I don't care," he replied.

_I do._

But there was nothing else to say anymore, really. There was nothing more to do. So Sakura remained silent, watching as Sasuke cradled Karin in his arms, and still did not look at her.

Before he could disappear completely (_I don't want to look at your back anymore, Sasuke-kun_), she turned away first.

_I'm not in love with you._

Then she quietly walked away _(just like he does, Sakura. Just like he always will)._

_I don't want to be._

And she never looked back.

_I will never be._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He had no reason to doubt Karin.

Because throughout all their years as a team...she had never, ever betrayed him. Never ever lied to him.

Never been anything but a fangirl, yet a good friend to him.

_Then what does that make Sakura_?

He didn't want to think anymore. Not about it.

Not about her.

He didn't care about her.

He _didn't._

Why couldn't he believe it?

He was so angry. So mad. At himself. At his emotions. At his weakness.

At her.

_Why did you do it, Sakura?_

_Why?_

"Sasuke-kun..." Karin whispered, burying her head in his shoulder. Her hands on him tightened. She was holding back a sob. She was hurting.

"Hn."

"Sasuke-kun..."

_Sakura..._

_Why?_

"What, Karin?"

The hands on him tightened even more. The body trembled.

And the voice, and what it said next, was enough to have Sasuke's thoughts disappearing completely.

The thoughts, and the anger.

Numbness took over.

"...I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It wasn't her. She didn't do anything."

In an instant, Karin went hysterical in his arms.

And Sasuke was already too numb to care, as realization set in. Too fast. Too deep.

Too late.

"_You're a monster, Uchiha Sasuke."_

He was.

"_I hate you so, so much."_

And Sakura had every right to hate him for it.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**a/n: Well...I passed on one exam, and I failed on another. Sigh. I guess that means more studying. Wish me luck!**

**Anyway...day five! I know Sasuke is _still_ such a bastard here (for just jumping to conclusions like that), but please don't fret...coz everything has a purpose here. I'm just building up their emotions, for the next chapter.**

**Next chapter...day six! Someone's going to break there. Care to guess who?**

**Thanks for your awesome (super cool! amazing! wow! i'm speechless!) reviews in the previous chapter! Happy reading on this one. And finally...review! :)**


	11. Surpassing a Storm

**Day Six**

**Surpassing a Storm**

It was midnight.

And it was raining.

The pitter-patter of the droplets of water against the soft ground was almost like a pattern, intended to soothe and make anyone with a sane mind want to just go home, and either curl up on the couch or read a good book. Have a cup of hot cocoa, or cozy up underneath a thick, warm blanket. Dream the night off.

Not everyone had a sane mind, however.

_Thwack!_

A kunai was embedded into a practice dummy, rather violently.

_Thwack!_

A shuriken followed it.

_Thwack!_

_Thwack!_

_Thwack!_

Pretty soon, the dummy was practically unrecognizable, what's with the multiple weapons and punches embedded into it. The head was falling off—the arms had, in fact, already fallen off.

The rain didn't stop.

The assailant didn't stop.

A few minutes later, a familiar chakra hovered from somewhere above the tree branches, watching the pink-haired girl as she took her frustration off. Sakura gave no indication that she'd heard, or felt anything—she merely continued what she was doing, sweating it off, letting the rain fall down on her. She was wet, and getting wetter.

She didn't care.

When it seemed like the chakra presence wasn't going to leave anytime soon, she took the time to throw one more shuriken, making sure it whizzed stealthily in the middle of her intended target.

_Thwack!_

It did. Spot-on.

She stopped throwing, and turned to tilt her head in the presence's direction.

"Sensei?"

The presence remained still, for a little moment. Then, all of a sudden, there was a barely-sensed movement, as Kakashi landed on the training grounds, his stance nonchalant and his face serious.

"Yo."

"Please leave," she said softly. Hoping he would, so she could be alone at last.

Of course, the Copy Nin wasn't really one for following orders.

Nor requests.

"What did he do?" Kakashi simply asked, tilting his own head.

"Nothing," Sakura replied evenly. She wasn't even sure why he was asking, or how he found out about (_don't think, don't think!_)...it didn't matter. He was always good at finding out, anyway, so there was no point in wondering.

She resumed throwing.

There was a hint of a pause, before he asked another question.

"Did he hurt you?"

_Yes._

"No."

Maybe her heart had broken, for a millimeter of a second. Cracked, for a slice of time. She had a moment of weakness, a moment of falling out, a bursting of emotions that were unspeakable, unreasonable.

Her heart had broken, momentarily.

But Haruno Sakura had not broken yet.

_I won't._

_I won't ever._

"No, sensei," she repeated, shaking her head in conviction. Her voice was firm, sure. Almost emotionless. "I don't break that easily anymore."

"I know."

_Thwack!_

He looked at her with something akin to sadness in his one exposed eye.

"But you have to sometime, Sakura."

_Thwack!_

_Thwack!_

_THWACK!_

_I won't._

_I don't have to._

Instead of saying those things, she simply repeated what she had requested (_ordered_) earlier.

"Please leave. Now."

He looked at her one more time.

Then, with a sigh, and a series of hand signs, Kakashi disappeared with a poof.

_Thwack!_

And she was left all alone again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Hours later, the rain had become something akin to a thunderstorm.

"You dumb, selfish bitch. Do you know what mess you just made by opening your mouth like _that_?"

"Shut up! It's none of your business, Sharkface!"

"Well, Four-eyes, if you just _behaved_ and let Sakura handle it—"

"_She_ couldn't handle it! Pinky was nearly being strangled and—"

"—and it's all because of you! Selfish! And would you please stop calling her Pinky?! You're just jealous because she's _way_ hotter than you!"

"...she is _not _hotter than me!"

The bickering went on—but Juugo found he was too tired to listen or intervene at the moment. Quietly, he simply let himself sit at the Uchiha apartment's kitchen, and wait it all out. Eventually, he knew one of them was going to tire out his or her voice into hoarseness (probably Karin this time, considering Suigetsu was in a particularly hot mood and would probably still be revved up until the next day). He gently picked up a mango, circling it in his hand and eyeing it. Curiously, he put it near his nose, and sniffed.

Sakura was right. It smelled nice.

When it seemed like Karin was finally getting too frustrated to argue louder (her wounds weren't exactly properly stitched yet, only slightly healed, since she refused to go to the hospital at all), Juugo put the mango back in the little plastic basket it had been neatly stacked in.

Then he turned to the red-haired kunoichi, and asked one simple question.

"Why?"

Karin stopped her mouth from making another nasty comment at Suigetsu, and instead turned to stare at Juugo, a startled look on her face. She closed her mouth. Stared some more.

Hesitated a bit.

Then she finally blinked, and turned her face (quite deliberately) the other way.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said evenly, her voice devoid of any sign of understanding.

Juugo wasn't perturbed.

"You know we never lie to him," Juugo said, voice just as even. "Except maybe Suigetsu—" To which Suigetsu made a face, and protested with a loud and indignant _hey!_ Juugo ignored that, and continued talking. "—who had done it a long time ago. When we weren't a team yet. He trusts us, Karin."

Karin remained very silent.

"Why?" Juugo repeated.

As if just catching on, Suigetsu opened his mouth wide, ready to fire (or yell, more like) the same question to Karin. But Juugo gave him a glance, making him shut his mouth immediately.

Silence.

After a few moments, Karin finally spoke.

"I—it's complicated," she mumbled softly.

Suigetsu snorted. "Oh, come on! You're already complicated half the time, so I doubt this one would make any difference—"

"Shut up!" Karin snarled.

Suigetsu glared. "You see, you're being complicated again! Why can't you get it in your head that Sasuke has a girlfriend already—and it's _not_ you—"

At the word girlfriend, Karin shot up from her seat in an instant, toppling it backwards onto the floor.

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP AND JUST GO MURDER YOURSELF! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND! YOU'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND!"

Suigetsu, not to be beaten, shot up, too, toppling his own seat in the process.

"WE'RE YOUR _FRIENDS!_ WHAT MAKES YOU THINK WE WOULDN'T?!"

"BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE—"

Suddenly, Karin stopped speaking, and her face paled at what she had been about to say.

Then, before Suigetsu could retaliate, she was glaring daggers, and stomping off (hobbling) towards the door—right into the rain, and the howling wind.

The door shut with a definite slam.

And Suigetsu was now pretty much cursing quite madly.

"Shit! _Shit!_ Doesn't that girl know how long it took for me to clean her injuries? Stubborn! Damn _stubborn!_ What the hell was that all about?" Suigetsu ranted on.

Juugo sighed.

And remained simply, tactfully silent.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

More hours later.

Thunder boomed so loud, the wind drowning out every sound except it. She was drenched to the bone, her breathing sharp and her muscles exhausted. Her heart was beating low, and her little spar wounds were starting to ache, slightly.

Despite all that, she still felt the flare of chakra as it approached.

As it stopped right in front of her.

"Sakura-chan, where the heck have you been?!"

Sakura sighed.

"Naruto, if you came here to lecture me about getting myself sick, it won't hap—"

"Sakura."

The second voice, she hadn't expected.

"Shizune?"

"There's no time for lecturing. There's an emergency at the hospital."

"How bad?"

A pause.

She opened her eyes.

And the expression on Shizune's and Naruto's faces were enough to tell her the answer.

Enough to make her heart beat horribly faster.

"Alright. Let's go."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Dobe. Where's—"

"Why should I tell you?!"

The answer surprised him—but of course, his stoic face remained.

"Tell me where she is now," he said evenly.

Naruto glared. Tried to intimidate (to no effect). Then he grimaced, and grudgingly replied. "Hospital."

Without so much as a curt nod, Sasuke made a move to leave. But the blond loudmouth stopped him, by sharply taking his arm. Sasuke gave him a cold look.

"Dobe," the raven-haired intoned.

"Teme," the blond replied icily.

"I need to talk—"

"Like hell you do!" Naruto yelled. "She's sick and she's exhausted and guess what? I somehow have the feeling this is _all your fault!_ What did you do to her this time, you bastard?!"

"Nothing."

"Nothing, my ass—HEY, YOU CAN'T GO THERE! THERE'S AN EMERGENCY SURGERY AND—TEMEEEE!!"

But Sasuke was beyond listening.

He marched out of Naruto's sight, with only one goal in mind.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_You're exhausted..._

_She wasn't._

_She wouldn't be._

_Sakura...he's dead..._

_No. No._

_Stop it...he's gone...they're gone..._

_They weren't gone._

_They weren't._

_Her chest ached. Her heart was cracking again. But she pushed on. She delved on._

_She wasn't going to break._

_Sakura...there's nothing you can do..._

_She went on._

_Like a crazed woman, Sakura pumped and pumped chakra, willing movement. Willing some small, miraculous heartbeat. Even when it was long gone. Even when everything was already too cold. Too still._

_Too dead._

_She pumped and pumped._

_Stared into lifeless eyes._

_And tried very hard not to break._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She was exhausted.

But she tried not to be.

The thunderstorm had come to its full rise, as Sakura finally went home, to her apartment—a place she hadn't been in for days. It was dark inside, and there were, at the moment, only shadows and silhouettes to be seen. But that was fine with her.

She needed the dark.

She needed it so bad.

The cold was seeping into her skin, and so was the wetness—but she was numb, numb about it all. Numbness was her salvation, because she knew without it, there would be too much chaos in her emotions. Without it, she would be lost.

She never wanted to be lost again.

Her heart was in so much pain (_they're dead, they're all dead_). So much grief (_my fault, all my fault_). Inner Sakura was already crying, pouring that pain out in waves. Too much waves of it.

She couldn't let it rule over.

It would be weak.

Useless.

Her thoughts wouldn't leave her alone.

"Sakura."

_No._

_Please, no._

Against her wishes, the lights turned on. And standing in the middle of her living room was none other than the one person she didn't want to see, not at all.

_Not now._

_Please, not now._

"Leave." She said it in the same voice she used on Kakashi—cold, and emotionless. But not soft this time.

"No."

She couldn't deal with this right now.

She simply couldn't.

"We need to ta—"

"There's nothing to talk about," she interrupted, walking away from the door. Prepared to go (even stalk) into her room. He blocked the path, and made her stare into his onyx eyes.

The numbness was vanishing. The emotions were seeping in.

"You're coming back with me," he said.

First, contempt.

"Go to hell," she replied.

She should have known it wasn't the right reply. In an instant, he was suddenly in front of her, too close in front of her, his hands reaching out, nearly touching her skin.

She viciously swiped his hands away before he could (_don't touch me, please don't_), and gave him the biggest glare her mind (her heart) could produce.

Next, was anger.

"Are you deaf or something!?" she snapped, backing away from him. "I said go to hell! If it's not clear enough, then let me _make_ it clear enough for you—leave me alo—"

He stopped her words, by coming closer still, and finally taking her arms.

She slapped them away, as if stung.

_Don't touch me._

_Please._

_I might crumble._

_I might go weak._

Anger was vanishing, replaced by coldness.

"Get out," she demanded, "I can't deal with you right now. Fuck off and get out. Go to your stupid family and get out."

His eyes (_I hate your eyes! Don't look at me with those eyes!_) flashed dangerously.

"Don't talk about—"

"I don't care," she scoffed, convincingly. Sneered. "I don't care one bit."

_I care._

_I care so much._

"_They're gone, Sakura. They're gone."_

A little boy.

Lifeless onyx eyes.

Oh, Kami. She cared too much.

"Take it back," he whispered angrily.

"I don't care," she repeated, voice steady. Voice almost cracking, but holding on. "I don't."

_I do._

The coldness was disappearing. The numbness was gone. The emotions were breaking through, breaking off...each and every one of them. Inner Sakura was hurting...and so was she.

Damn it, so was she.

"_There's nothing you can do."_

She didn't save them in time.

"_Stop pushing yourself where you're not wanted."_

She couldn't love him.

"_Miss S-sakura-san...p-please...I d-don't wanna d-die...I don't w-want mommy and daddy t-to die..."_

Little boy crying. Begging.

Dying.

"I don't need you. I'm glad it's over. I'm glad for what happened. I don't—"

"Glad that my family's dead?"

_They're dead. They're all dead._

"I don't care."

"You'll never care, will you?"

_I won't._

_...i'll try not to._

"Of course not."

A pause.

Cold, cold onyx gaze.

"Then you're the monster, Sakura."

Her heart was protesting. Her mind was screaming. Her emotions were tumbling, one over another, blurring her head, messing up everything, lengthening the pain.

Weakening her heart.

_Don't break._

_Please, don't break._

"Whatever you say...Sasuke."

And she shoved him as hard as she could, lightning-fast.

"I don't ever wanna see you again," she whispered, coldly.

_I'm a liar._

_Can't you see I'm a big liar?_

"It's over...Uchiha."

Before he could react, Sakura was suddenly running for her room, slamming the door as hard as she could. She didn't break.

But as she stared at the mirror, at herself, in the bathroom, from where she was standing...she realized that it didn't matter.

Because those lifeless eyes that she failed to save would always, always be haunting her nightmares from now on.

_Don't break._

_Don't break._

_Please...don't break._

Haruno Sakura broke very, very slowly.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Lightning stretched, illuminating the dark, dark sky. Thunder rolled.

Rain fell, almost violently.

She was so cold.

She was so fucking cold.

It was like she didn't care at all.

The anger was burning up in him, slowly eating him up. He didn't know why he even came here now, when just a few minutes earlier, he had been very clear on what he needed to do. What he had to do.

To apologize. To convince her to come back. To make sure the people who desecrated his family's resting place would get what they deserved—he would find out, even if Karin refused to tell him who _they_ were (even to the point of refusing to look into his Sharingan eyes).

But Sakura had desecrated it, too.

With her words.

With her damn selfish words.

_I don't care._

_It doesn't matter._

He should leave. He should just leave, and forget about everything. Forget about her words, apologizing...forget she even existed. It didn't matter. It _didn't_ matter.

He nearly, very nearly snarled.

The hell it didn't.

Without further ado, Sasuke moved. He moved, and strode towards her bedroom, which was located at the far end of the hall. He had no plan, he had no idea what to do. All he knew was that he was boiling, about to explode.

She had no right.

Absolutely no right.

He opened the door. It wasn't locked, as he first assumed it would be—but the bedroom was empty. Sasuke saw that the bathroom door was open, and he heard the water running—and so, he stalked in, without a care what she would do, what she would think.

He found Sakura, alright.

And what he saw made him stop in his tracks. Completely.

The shower was running in the tub, and so was the faucet. The tub was overflowing—but it was empty. She was standing in the middle of the bathroom, just standing there, nearly in front of the mirror, with her side towards him, and her arms around herself. Her nails practically digging on her skin. Her head was down, and she was blinking, blinking and blinking, as if willing something away.

She was trying not to cry.

She was trembling.

She was breathing, in harsh pants that conveyed so much pain.

The anger left him, bit by bit. He stared at her. She was pale, and her face had this sort of look that spoke of deep grief, and sadness.

Had he done this?

He stepped closer. Hesitated.

Then he reached out a hand.

"Sakura."

Her head snapped up in shock, the grief and sadness instantly fading. Just when his hand was about to touch her, she recoiled, and gave him a deadly glare, and stood up so proud and straight.

She was still trembling.

He didn't think. He simply reached out some more, and put his hands on her wrists.

She struggled wildly.

"Get out!" she yelled, angrily. "I told you to leave—I told you!"

She forced him with all her might, to let her go. He didn't budge. Instead, Sasuke pulled her closer, until more than their hands were in contact.

"Don't _touch_ me! I hate you! I hate you, remember?! I hate you so much!"

She began beating him in the chest, hard. He took it, and tried not to wince at her strength. "Sakura—"

"Let me go! Go away! I hate you!"

"Sakura." He slid his hands from her wrists to her elbows, to keep her in place.

"I hate you—"

Her insults were weakening.

"I hate you—"

Her eyes were changing.

"I hate you—"

Her voice was slowly, slowly cracking.

There was no anger now, only panic. She repeated the words over and over, as if desperate to cling to them. A tear was escaping, one single tear. Something in him stirred at the sight.

"Sakura."

"It's not about you. Not everything is about you. So go away. Go away, Sasuke. I hate you. I hate—"

"Don't hate me," he said back.

She stopped speaking. She was still struggling.

"I don't want you to hate me," he continued, quietly. "I'm..."

_Sorry._

_I'm so sorry._

"...whatever happened, at the hospital—"

Her breathing hitched. Her body froze. She stopped struggling, as she looked at him, her hands curling into fists on his shirt, her green eyes trying to mask something away.

"Sakura...it's okay. It's going to be okay."

And that was the last straw.

Sasuke watched, with something painful shooting straight into his gut, as her expression stilled. As it crumbled.

As her defenses fell, and instead of pushing him away...she began to come closer. To grip him, with all the strength she could muster.

"They're dead," she whispered, vehemently. Angrily. Sorrowfully. "They're all dead."

And she finally broke.

Sasuke watched, as Sakura, for the first time in a long time, began to cry. Hard.

He was stunned beyond belief. He had never seen Sakura do this—he had always known, ever since he had come back, that she was already strong enough not to (however much his pride and ego tried to deny it). She had never lost control, except through temper—but never like this.

Unable to comfort her with words any longer (because he'd never been one for words, when it came down to it), he did the only thing he could think of.

He wrapped his arms around her, tight. Then he proceeded to pick her up, and take her small body with him. He walked back to the bedroom, sat down on the rugged floor. Placed her in his lap, sideways, his arms around for comfort.

She didn't fight him.

She was shaking badly now. She was holding on to his shirt, as if her life depended on it. She was clinging closer, so close that he could feel her still rain-wet skin and clothes, sticking to his own, and her high temperature, indicating the fever underneath.

She was crying, as if her heart was breaking. As if her soul was dying. As if the grief was too much.

He'd been wrong. She wasn't cold.

She was far from cold.

"What happened, Sakura?" He held her tighter, letting her head and her damp hair rest on his neck. His one hand was on her back, rubbing. His other was on her knees, pulling them closer, pulling her closer (_what was he doing? Why was he doing this?_) "Tell me what happened."

She remained in silent, grief-stricken tears.

He tried asking differently. "How many?" he whispered.

_How many died?_

"...all of them," she whispered back, her voice so, so soft. So small. "All of them are gone."

Like a trigger, the floodgates opened. She shook more violently this time, her tears desperate, her breath coming out in harsher pants. Like a storm...she burst through.

He didn't ask anymore. Instead, he soothed her, caressing her skin, running his hands up and down her shaking form.

It was different. He had done the same to another girl, just hours earlier—soothed, and tried to comfort. Wrapped arms. It didn't feel the same. It wasn't the same.

What was he thinking?

What the hell was wrong with him?

_Stop being foolish._

It might have been minutes, it might have been hours—but eventually, Sakura's sobs died down, and her trembling finally subsided. He continued the soothing, continued caressing...continued rubbing. She held on.

Such soft skin.

But she was still very hot.

"Sakura."

She remained silent.

"You have a fever," he said.

"I—"

"Foolish girl," he interrupted—though there was no heat in his voice.

She buried her head closer into his neck.

"Sasuke-kun...?" she murmured, tiredly.

"Hn."

"...you're still rude."

She sighed. And pretty soon, he could feel her breathing steadying, and her fists go loose on his shirt. Her head bobbed down. Her shoulders sagged. He looked down, and let himself gaze, as her green, blurry (reddened) eyes slowly closed. He didn't let go.

He looked, as outside, the rain gradually slowed down.

As inside, Sakura slowly, ever so slowly slept in his arms.

The storm had finally passed.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Several hours later, the moon became clear again.

"Neh...Kakashi-sensei?"

A long sigh.

"How many times do I have to tell you I am _not_ your sensei anymore?"

"...but you're still _old._"

SMACK!

"OW!! YOU'RE A SADIST!"

Amused eyes merely crinkled.

Sai beamed along with him.

"...AND YOU'RE A SADIST, TOO, SAI, FOR NOT STOPPING WHAT HE DID!"

"But dickless...isn't interrupting rude?"

"It is not rude when someone's already torturing—HEEY! DID YOU JUST CALL ME—"

Before the blond loudmouth could finish his statement (rant), the silver-haired Copy nin bopped him (quite casually) on the head again.

Sai beamed once more.

"_SENSEI! _WHAT—"

"Be quiet. Door's opening."

"WHAT—"

He shut his mouth, as the door, which was a lot of meters away from where they were (hiding beyond the tree branches), did indeed open.

Raven hair came out, attached to a familiar figure. And in his arms, wrapped in a thick blanket, was another figure—though only her pink hair was visible.

Without so much as a look around him, Sasuke turned heel. Then he silently vanished into the night, in the direction of his apartment.

Naruto gazed at all this with contemplative eyes (though he was still rubbing his head with both hands).

"Neh...Kakashi-sensei?"

Another long (longer now) sigh.

No response.

"Do you think they're still pretending?" Naruto asked.

Silence.

Finally, Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe. Why are we spying, anyway?"

Naruto pouted, at the lack of sure answer. "I just wanted to be sure she's safe, that's all! Because that bastard is going to pay if he hurts her!"

There was a hesitation in Kakashi's voice when he next spoke.

"...what happened at the hospital, Naruto?"

Naruto's eyes dimmed a bit. He sighed loudly. "Plenty. I don't want to discuss them."

He could still remember the broken bodies that had been brought into the village gates when he'd been eating ramen in Ichiraku—it wasn't exactly a pretty sight. The adults had looked like average people—almost like Sakura's parents.

The little boy had eerily familiar onyx eyes.

_And now, they're all dead. Stupid robbers. YOU WILL PAY! I WILL BE HOKAGE SOMEDAY AND YOU WILL HAVE YOUR BUTTS WHIPPED BY MY_—

"Were they shinobi?" Kakashi interrupted his inner rant.

"No. Civilians." Shaking his head (not wanting to think about horrible stuff any longer), Naruto impatiently turned his attention back to the now-dark house. "But that wasn't the discussion! I was saying that teme is going to pay with my super-killer-deadly punches if he ever hurts her!"

Sai gave him a thoughtful look. "I read about this in a book...it's said to be a need to brush up on ego and—"

"YOU READ EVERYTHING IN A BOOK! STOP READING ALREADY! AND THAT'S NOT THE POINT—THE POINT IS IF THEY'RE STILL PRETENDING OR NOT! THE POINT IS—"

A rustle of leaves. Footsteps.

"Who's pretending?"

Naruto froze.

Kakashi semi-froze.

Sai beamed.

Then they all turned to look behind them, as the cheerful voice (definitely not theirs) spoke (_yelled_) again.

"Hi, my youthful comrades of springtime! Who's pretending?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**a/n:** _Let me just make something clear. This is **not** an angst type of fic. I know the previous two chapters may have suggested that, but really, this is not going to be some sadist fic where Sakura becomes a martyr and all that stuff. Sasuke being a jerk will not be permanent, I promise. I love Sakura, and if there's ever one thing I hate, it's when she's portrayed as weak. She's not. She's just human, of course...but she's **not** weak._

_Anyway...day six! I finished it early, so here it is. The next chapter is gonna be day seven, and it will be lighter moments. Thanks for the reviews, everyone. I really, **really **appreciate it. Happy reading._

_P.S. I wrote this while listening to Regina Spektor's "The Call". You know, the theme song of Prince Caspian. My God. Makes me so inspired...because the lyrics are **meant** for SasuSaku. Seriously._

_P.P.S. Hey, guys! Check out my new fic, **"Her Romance" **. All Sakura fluff, I tell you...two chapters are now up! :)_


	12. Air Mangoes

**Day Seven**

**Air Mangoes**

The first thing Sakura noticed when she opened her eyes was the fact that she was lying under something—something that was warm and thick. It was comfortable, and soft...and for a moment, she let herself be content, snuggling in whatever it was she was wrapped in, and sprawled all over the soft pillows that seemed to be surrounding her.

The second thing she noticed was the smell. She sniffed.

Why did the pillows smell...different?

Like musk. Forest. Something dark, and just as warm, with hints of comfort and danger and subtlety all rolled into one.

Delicious.

The third thing she noticed was the complete, utter lack of _something_ _else _under the warmth and thickness. Finally focusing her eyes, Sakura stared around, until her bleary vision adjusted to the morning light. Her head was throbbing. Her eyelids were almost too _painful_ to open. She sniffed some more—and suddenly realized what the different smell was now.

It smelled like Uchiha Sasuke.

All of a sudden, the events of last night rolled back into her mind, like a flickering screen that just wouldn't go away. The fight. The graveyard. The other fight. The frustration. The deaths (at this, her green orbs immediately sobered with something akin to sadness).

The complete, utter breakdown.

Oh...Kami.

At the last part, Sakura nearly groaned. What the heck had just happened? How could she have done that? It was so unusual for her to just explode like that—to just show too much emotion, especially where certain matters were concerned. She was a ninja, for goodness' sake—she wasn't _twelve_ anymore.

She was so, so embarrassed.

_But you had good reason. And he comforted you, didn't he?_

True. But that didn't mean it was wise.

_Oh, screw wise!_ _You're just human._

Why was her inner self so chipper that morning, anyway?

Sighing mentally, Sakura slid her head down the blankets and closed her eyes. Yes, she was just human...but it was galling to admit that she had acted like a kid. All weak and defeated. Yelling like a maniac. Letting her temper tantrum get the best of her.

Letting him take her back here.

Her eyes narrowed. Did he actually carry her all the way here, just for his stupid pretend thing again?

_Oh, screw you! You're going gooey all over it!_

"I am not," she muttered in irritation. Unconsciously, her cheeks turned red at the thought.

Of course she wasn't going gooey. No freaking way. Just because the guy stuck by her, and didn't _leave_ (like she had screamed at him to), didn't mean that he could be let off the hook that easily. The fact still stood that he was a big jerk, who didn't give her a chance to explain, and had instantly judged her, even when she did nothing wrong (why the hell hadn't she deduced all this yesterday?). He had broken it off, hadn't he? Saying things like he didn't want to ever see her again...and now, just because he wanted her back...erm, for the pretend...

_Give him a chance, girl. You know he was hurt too...it was his _family, _for Kami's sake._

Oh, darn it. The completely _destroyed_ graveyard. Those stupid, _stupid_ fangirls.

"They are _so_ gonna pay," she growled to herself, as Inner Sakura began doing punching gestures in the air.

And maybe she just might make him grovel. Maybe.

Just a teensy bit.

_Oh, make him beg for his life! Then go ahead and jump him and make him moan with pleas—_

"Shut up," she grumbled.

Groaning at the idiocy of it all, Sakura felt for her temperature, relieved to find that she wasn't feeling very sickly anymore. Maybe a bit dizzy and headachy, somewhat—but it was nothing a good old aspirin wouldn't cure. And some chakra. Her arms travelled lower, ready to curl into a little ball and hug herself tight. Maybe it would be a good thing to just rest now, and sleep for a few more hours. The sadness was still inside her—she had a feeling it wasn't going to go away anytime soon. Maybe some sleep would ease it away from her mind for a bit, and—

Her thoughts stopped, as her hand halted on a certain spot. She blinked. Pinched around.

Blinked some more.

Then she whipped her head down, lightning fast (it was a wonder it didn't crack with the speed), and proceeded to stare under the thick (Uchiha-smelling) blankets.

Her headache vanished. Her eyes widened in horror and disbelief.

Her cheeks turned a _very_ bright red.

Okay, so maybe there was something more embarrassing than a complete breakdown. It seemed she was not only completely in turmoil.

"Oh, _hell._"

She was also completely naked.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I want you to take her off duty for the week."

Tsunade stared at the stoic man standing somewhat formally in front of her, a frown on her face. Being the Tsunade that she was, she immediately stiffened, at the commanding (demanding) tone of his voice.

"...Hokage-sama," Sasuke supplied, after a moment. He toned down his voice, albeit reluctantly.

The blond Sannin raised an eyebrow.

"And why would I do that?" she asked.

"Because she needs it," Sasuke replied coolly.

"And who are you to decide that for her?" Tsunade countered, trying to hide the smirk from her face.

Silence.

"A concerned teammate," he finally intoned.

_Concerned teammate, my ass_, she scoffed.

Inside her head, of course.

Oh, she'd heard stuff, alright. Just because she was away for a few days to sign some treaty (and waste totally boring hours with some of the stuffiest morons that called themselves _Council_) didn't mean she didn't hear about the latest happenings of her own village—she had reliable ears, after all (in the form of a secretary who always carried around a cute little pig). She'd heard about everything. Konoha's so-called latest hottest couple (much to fangirls' vehement protests)...the moving in (who knew _that_ would happen?)...the hospital happening.

Her heart went out for her apprentice for a moment—she knew what grief that must have caused, failing to save _all_ that you were supposed to save. However tough every medic-nin tried to be, the pain was always there...inside a façade, or wherever it was possible to keep it from affecting you. But Tsunade knew Sakura was a strong girl—it was an accident, and she could make it. And it didn't exactly hinder that a certain someone was now looking out for her.

However arrogant and stick-up-his-ass _moronic _(in a cold, emotionless way) that certain someone was being at the moment.

Trying to hide her sly grin, Tsunade gave the Uchiha an equally cool stare.

"Three days," she said (not bargained, because a Hokage _didn't_ bargain). "No more."

A pause.

"Fine," he finally replied.

Another pause.

Again, she raised an eyebrow.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," he supplied again.

As he left the office, and closed the door with a quiet click, Tsunade finally did the one thing she had been wanting to do—aside from drinking the whole bottle of sake in her drawer, of course. She let out a sly, and very satisfied grin.

_Sakura's definitely not gonna like this._

Oh, she couldn't wait for her little girl (because that girl _is _her little girl, and she was damn proud of it) to put one certain Uchiha in his place.

It would be a very interesting development to witness.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The first thing he was greeted with the moment he came in was the sound of a loud, feminine voice.

A very _horrified_ feminine voice.

"You!" she accused, shrilly.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and continued going in—after all, this was his apartment.

...which was becoming questionable, at the way she now stood defiantly in front of him.

Sakura, dressed and fresh from the shower, and mouth set in a firm line, held one hand in the air. Then she pointed at him.

"You—how could you!?"

He stared at her in silence.

"You—you—" She was practically stuttering. "You—I—naked! _Naked!_"

Understanding dawned on him (after all, he had a very fast pick-up when it came to these things), though he didn't let it show on his face. Instead, Sasuke observed her, in his quiet, thorough way.

For professional purposes, of course.

She looked flushed—but not the kind of flushed that meant she still had a fever. She wasn't shivering anymore, and it looked like her color had gone back, to its usual healthy pallor. There were no nonsense murmurs, like she had done last night in her feverish sleep, and no more dizziness on her stance.

Her eyes were back to their healthy spark as well.

"I—you undressed me last night!" she accused, her voice coming out in a half-squeak, half-yell.

He kept on looking.

She began growing flustered.

"You were wet," he finally replied, calmly. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and strode for the kitchen, intent on making himself a cup of hot coffee.

After all, he didn't really get any sleep last night.

"I—but—"

He turned on the coffeemaker, and began spooning beans into it. "I didn't see anything."

"I—what?"

"It was dark."

"I—"

"I didn't look."

Silence.

Sasuke turned back, just in time to see her eyes widen, and her mouth open. Close. Open again.

"But—your hands—"

He kept on looking.

"My hands have already been everywhere, Sakura."

Her flustered look merely increased—though it was obvious she was trying to regain her composure.

...and somewhat failing at it.

"That was pretend," she mumbled.

A pause.

"And is this any different?" he asked.

She glared at him defiantly. "_Yes._ Because it's over, as you said. And now, I have to go tend to my hospital duties," Something flickered in her eyes, before vanishing off. He had a pretty good idea what it was, though he didn't comment on it. "and I am late, so goodbye, see you around—"

"You have the day off. Three days."

She blinked.

"What?"

"Hn."

"What?" she repeated.

He eyed her in annoyance, already a bit tired from speaking too much. "I ordered it."

"Wha—"

"You need rest."

"Wha—"

"You're starting to sound like a broken record. Go to sleep."

He thought she would leave it at that, and be finally silent after so much ranting. He thought she would finally give up said ranting, and do something else instead—like going back to bed (because judging from the circles under her eyes, she still needed it), or going to training, or just plain leaving him alone.

He should have known she wouldn't do any of those things.

Instead, Sakura's expression changed from surprise to confusion to resentment to irritation, in no more than a second. Suddenly, she began stalking to the kitchen, and planted her feet on the ground in front of him. Her eyes narrowed, as she pointed again, with the same finger.

Then she started to hiss like a _very_ angry cat.

"How dare you! You just go off and decide to get me a day-off when I didn't even ask for it—"

"You need rest," he repeated—though he sounded more annoyed now.

Her narrowed eyes turned into a glare.

"I do _not_ need anything, especially coming from—"

"Shut up," he grunted.

"DON'T TELL ME—"

She was having a temper tantrum again. He supposed he should get himself used to it (because after all, _this_ was Sakura)—but after what happened last night, it was a bit of a surprise for him. Where was the vulnerability? Where were the tears?

"Sakura, stop."

"I am not weak!" she snapped, angry now. "Don't ask me to stop and presume I'm weak!"

Something in her eyes flickered again, before shutting off altogether. For a moment, Sasuke let himself stare, before flicking his own eyes away. He knew that emotion—and something in him stirred at the sight, again.

What the hell was wrong with him?

This was Sakura—his comrade. Nothing more.

_But you're guilty._

He wasn't.

_Apologize._

He wouldn't.

He just wasn't that kind of person.

"Go to sleep, Sakura," was all he said.

"No!" she said, defiantly.

He gave her another annoyed look. "It's final. You have three days off. Don't argue."

"You—"

"Go. To. Sleep."

"I—"

"Go. To. Slee—"

"SHUT UP!" she finally yelled. With temper shining in her eyes, Sakura grabbed the nearest thing there was, and threw it at him.

He dodged the mango that went sailing in the air, before plopping down on the floor with a loud thud.

He stared at the mango in surprise.

Maybe it was better if he just went training, and left her to go crazy with her own self.

That decided, he opened his mouth.

"I'm—"

"You're not forgiven!" she snapped.

He blinked.

What?

"If you're about to say sorry, then you're not forgiven!"

This time his stare was back on her.

"...I wasn't apologizing."

Fury leapt in her eyes.

In an instant, mangoes were flying all over his direction.

"You're _still_ not forgiven, you stupid bastard!"

Maybe a crazy Sakura was something to give way to, if you were a wise person. But at the moment, Sasuke had not slept (because he'd been too busy tending to her, and making sure she was alright), he had not trained (because he had spent the early morning trying to wait until the Hokage finally deemed it okay to let him be her presence), and he was in no mood. At all.

"I'm going to fix breakfast for myself—so leave me alone, Uchiha! And don't come back until you're sorry! For everything!"

At the moment, enough was enough.

His own fury growing, his annoyance heightening, Sasuke caught one of the flying mangoes in his hand, with precise movement. She had turned her back on him now, and was muttering some insults, while stormily holding a tomato in one hand and the fridge handle in another (yes, she had yanked the fridge open). He activated his Sharingan, intent on one thing only: to make her gaze at them, and damn well fall asleep while looking.

She leaned into the fridge further, depositing the tomato back on its compartment and reaching for something else. She tilted her head. Because of this movement, her hair blew off.

It was then he saw the back of her neck.

It was then he deactivated his Sharingan. The fury disappeared, and so did the annoyance.

And it was then he felt something in his blood run very, very cold.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She had lost her temper—_again. _It wasn't normal for her to lose her normalcy that much in just the span of a few hours—and right in front of him, of all people.

Kami, this was so embarrassing.

And maddening.

Was it her fault that he was just too much of a bossy jerk? Was it her fault that she had woken up vulnerable, and confused, and not wanting to _think_ about anything at all?

Was it her fault that him standing at the same room was enough to trigger so much in her—things that she really didn't want to be dealing with right now?

No. It wasn't her fault.

It was _his _fault.

As usual.

Grumbling under her breath, Sakura rummaged further into the fridge—a pretense, really. The cold air was slightly cooling down her temper, and it was a welcome relief, because goodness gracious...it was _still_ morning, and there was really no benefit in losing one's cool at such an early time.

Or throwing mangoes, for that matter.

_So immature. You could have hit him with one._

Hah. Like that would ever happen.

_Oh, like you would even aim at him._

Inner Sakura was becoming very, very irritating.

She was so caught up in her thoughts and her mumblings, that Sakura didn't realize she was already glaring at the fridge—and completely unaware of a chakra presence that was still in the room with her.

Until it got nearer.

In an instant, a presence was behind her, and a hand was touching her hair.

In an instant, she froze.

She felt the hand move, settling aside her hair, and placing it beside her shoulder. The same hand went to touch the back of her neck, feather-soft.

In an instant, she knew what he was looking at.

"Sakura."

"Sasuke-kun, I—"

"I did this."

It was no question. His voice was serious, and tinged with an edge that she couldn't quite identify yet.

Slowly, his hand caressed the spot, where a somewhat large purple bruise was residing. Slowly, his other hand went to her shoulder, moving along her skin, down to her arm.

Slowly, he turned her around.

His onyx eyes were now looking at the other bruises at the sides of her neck—not quite as purple, and hidden a bit by her hair...but still there. His whole hand was now on her neck, touching but not moving. Cupping. His other hand left her arm, and went to rest on her elbow. He was frowning.

"Why didn't you heal it?"

She cleared her throat, and tried not to look at him. "I—I didn't have enough chakra. I'm...saving it up for—"

"It's your day-off," he cut in bluntly.

She slumped slightly, but regained composure. "I...kind of forgot," she mumbled in a small voice.

His hand started moving. Caressing. She could feel the heat. She could feel the warmth. The gentleness of his touch—something that she had never expected from him.

She wanted nothing more than to lean in.

She wanted nothing more than to back away, and stay away from him.

"Sakura."

Her eyes remained on a spot over his shoulder.

"...Sakura," he repeated.

She glanced at him quickly, before defiantly looking at the same spot behind him. "What?"

"Look at me."

"No."

Silence.

"Saku—"

"No," she insisted.

Another bout of silence.

She heard him sigh, but she still didn't look. She heard him grunt, slightly. His hand moved, still slow. And then, before she knew what was happening, there was suddenly an increase of chakra, and a jolt coming into her skin.

She froze again.

"Sasuke—"

"Don't move," he ordered.

She backed away, her back hitting the fridge completely.

"I don't—"

He only held her more firmly.

"I said don't move," he repeated.

She had no choice but to relent.

Slowly, Sakura closed her eyes, and simply let herself feel—as he let that chakra flow, and cross into her system, leaving it calm and floating and very warm. He didn't have her almost-perfect chakra control, nor her fluid medic's touch. Instead, what he had was something soft and dark and powerful at the same time, leaving her oddly soothed, and oddly calmed—and totally far away from the temper that was there just moments ago.

She let him heal her.

When the chakra had subsided, Sakura finally opened her eyes.

He was looking at her. Those dark eyes simply gazing.

Oddly, she felt her heart beating faster, at just that.

_You can't deny it, Sakura._

No.

_You feel something._

No.

She couldn't.

She _didn't_ want to.

It was stupid.

It was dangerous.

"I—" She didn't know what to say. He was still looking, so calmly. For a moment, she was reminded of similar eyes, just last night—eyes that died at such a young age. Then, before she could react, the image died, until it was only Sasuke she was seeing. Only him. He was still touching her skin, so gently.

Something in her insides fluttered.

Something in her heart thumped.

It was all too much.

"Sasuke, I—"

"Hn."

"I—"

"Hn."

Why was he gazing at her as if she mattered, in some way?

It was all a lie. Pretend.

Dammit, why couldn't she get that into her head?

"I—I'm cold," she whispered.

His hand on her elbow moved, smoothing down to touch her wrist. Her pulse was pounding, it was a wonder he couldn't hear it. Her mouth opened slightly, unsure of what to do, what to say.

His eyes flicked to that mouth, quietly.

Then, before she knew what was happening, he was suddenly...backing away.

He pulled her wrist. Then he removed both his hands altogether.

"Your back's on a fridge. What do you expect?"

Well, he certainly had a point.

Inner Sakura had remained silent throughout it, which was a bit of a relief. Outer Sakura merely stared at him, still unsure of what to do. She tried to clear her head, and ignore the pounding pulse, the fast-beating heart.

It wasn't right.

It wasn't.

"I—yeah. You're right," she said after a moment.

Sasuke put his hands in his pockets, and nodded his head. Then he turned away, and made his way out of the kitchen.

She was so startled, all she could do was follow (after closing the fridge, of course—which she still had the awareness to do).

"Where are you going? Training?" she asked.

"Hn."

Was that even a yes, or a no?

"What? So that's it?" she said softly.

He stopped walking, and paused.

She sighed inwardly.

This was no use, anyway.

"Never mind, Sasuke...Sasuke-kun," she mumbled, turning her own back. Steeling herself, because there was nothing she could do—he was Uchiha Sasuke, and she was just his acquaintance. Just that. "It doesn't matter. I know you've been through something yesterday, so I have no right—"

"I'm sorry."

It was like being hit by a train wreck.

She stopped. Froze.

"What?" she whispered, in disbelief. In an instant, she turned around again, her eyes wide, her mouth almost dropping open.

He still had his back towards her.

Silence.

Then he spoke again. Softly.

"Yesterday."

Quietly.

"What happened."

Seriously.

"What I did."

...simply.

"You didn't deserve it."

His head tilted, looking over his shoulder.

Looking at her.

She could only look back, a bit speechless.

"You're apologizing," she murmured after a moment, eyes still wide.

"Hn."

"I—seriously?" she blurted out.

"Hn."

She blinked. "Is this a first time? I can't believe—I mean, sure, it's not like we've ever crossed paths lately, but I don't think I've ever known you to do this kind of thing—"

"Sakura."

She stopped babbling. "What?"

A pause.

"...stop being annoying."

She blinked again. Stared again.

Then, before she could realize what she was doing, she smiled—a small smile, but one nonetheless.

Something in her heart lightened at his words, mostly because of one thing.

He meant it.

Every word.

"Okay," she said.

Sasuke didn't smile back—not that he ever did. He simply nodded his head, and proceeded to walk away again.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He paused, again.

"I forgive you," she murmured softly.

Silence.

Then he nodded again, and—once more—proceeded to head for the front door.

Something flashed in Sakura's eyes—a vision that saddened her, yet strengthened her resolve at the same time.

Before she could understand what she was doing, she was suddenly walking, too. Sakura walked towards him, and reached out. Before he could open the knob, her hand was on his arm, touching softly.

He stilled at the contact.

"Don't go," she blurted out.

Sasuke looked at her.

"Don't go training," she elaborated.

"Why?" he grunted.

"...I want you to go somewhere with me."

He gave her a warning look. "I told you. Day-off. No hospitals. Rest—"

"Sasuke-kun."

"...hn."

"...we're not going to the hospital."

Slowly, Sakura eased her hand on his arm. She stepped forward, until she was standing right in front of him. Her green eyes flickered. Closed. Opened again.

"And you're coming with me," she ordered, softly.

Then, before he could protest, she was holding on to his wrist, and gently pulling him out.

Because yes, they did have somewhere to go.

Somehow, she had already gotten her bit of peace of mind.

It was time he got his.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**a/n: **_This chapter is heartily dedicated to **Azumi Nagasaki**, who took the time to make a lovely SasuSaku vid w/the song I've been obsessing with lately (The Call, Regina Spektor, theme song of Narnia). Yes, I requested it - and I'm so happy she complied (totally happy!). Check it out, guys...i've posted the link on my profile page._

_Anyway...day seven! Yes, no more angst here (at least, I think so). To be honest, it's basically just some SasuSaku moments. Nothing much. I hope you like it, anyway. Hehe. Day seven isn't finished yet, I'll continue on the next chapter._

_Hmm...Sasuke? Complicated guy, I know. And Sakura? Too temperamental for her own good. But yes...I kind of like them that way. Makes them oddly endearing to be so dysfunctional._

_So...got any idea where they're going?_

_Happy reading! And yes...reviews are appreciated. (definitely appreciated the previous ones!) _:)


	13. Revisit

**Day Seven**

**Revisit**

It was a wonder how her mood could go from one to another in such a short amount of time. When she had first approached him at the door, she was all righteousness and indignation—ready to defend her honor, and to charge him with whatever mistake she deemed he needed to be charged with. And then, indignation had turned to embarrassment, as she became nearly red all over. Then, anger and hurt—the mango-throwing incident said enough of that. Then, vulnerability—so light, and so fragile, that he could do nothing but stand there, and wonder why she never showed it, never seemed to want to.

But now, those emotions were gone.

To be replaced by nothing but sheer...happiness.

It was a wonder to see her like this—all smiling and beaming, dragging him with cheerful determination across the grounds of Konoha. A little spitfire, who, despite the bags under her eyes and the obvious strains of yesterday's events, was now merrily greeting everyone she crossed paths with, and anyone who was within sight.

Just last night, she had been crying her heart out. Holding on to him.

...soft.

He didn't know why it wouldn't leave his mind.

She wasn't soft. She was somewhat made of steel, hard and resolved and stubborn to the point of insanity. She was loud, and not above being sneaky to get what she wanted. Compassionate, and temperamental to the point of damage.

...soft.

_Stop thinking._

He tried to.

"Sakura-chan! The most beautiful blossom in the whole, youthful world!"

Sasuke snapped his head up, in time to see a green blur, followed by an orange one, make their hurried way towards them. The raven-haired Uchiha grimaced at this—Sakura merely beamed wider.

"Hi, Lee! Hi—oofh!"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, because all of a sudden, the orange blur overtook the green one. In an instant, Sasuke's hand (the one Sakura was holding on to) was knocked back, and Sakura was being picked up off the ground...

...and hugged with all her might.

She seemed to be stuck somewhere between widened green eyes and cheeks turning paler by the second.

"I—Naru—can't—breathe—"

Calmly, Sasuke pulled the blond loudmouth away by the neck of his loud-colored shirt. Naruto didn't mind, and instead continued to look at Sakura with something between a sheepish grin and a worried brow-furrow on his face.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan! I was just so worried about you! I wanted to know if you were okay and—"

"Dear Sakura-chan, please do me the honor of giving you a hug, too!" Lee interrupted, finally catching up with arms wide open.

This was quickly settled by Sasuke stepping in front of Sakura, and Naruto giving the overenthusiastic green-clad shinobi a bop in the head.

"You cannot hug her!" Naruto yelled.

"But why not?!" Lee cried out.

"Only teammates are allowed!" Naruto exclaimed. "Go hug your teammates!"

Sighing out loud, Sakura stepped in front of Sasuke, glaring at Naruto—though her eyes softened after a moment.

"It's okay, Naruto. I'm fine, don't worry."

Naruto peered at her closely. Then, being the touchy-feely guy that he was, he put his hands on both her cheeks, and caressed them warmly and worriedly. "Are you sure?" he persisted.

"I'm very sure," she assured, smiling at the gesture. "I've been...taken care of. Very well, in fact."

At this, Naruto's blue eyes widened in surprise. He immediately let go of her cheeks, and whipped his head to Sasuke's direction. Then he proceeded to give out a very suspicious stare.

Naturally, this was ignored, of course.

With another sigh, Sakura then turned to smile softly at Lee.

"Maybe next time, Lee," she suggested, referring to the hug (as Sasuke had deduced). The guy's look of despair immediately brightened up. Then he gave everyone the nice guy pose.

"Of course, Sakura-chan!" he declared energetically. His eyes practically shone with hearts. "Anything for you! By the blossom of springtime, I shall soon give you a hug—and win my way over to your youthful heart!"

Naruto guffawed at this, while Sakura gave him another irritated glare.

"Yeah, right, fuzzy-brows," the blond scoffed loudly, folding his arms in amusement. "Like you could do that when Sakura-chan already has a _boyfriend._"

Sasuke grimaced further. He should have known the dobe would bring that up.

What he hadn't expected, however, was Lee brightening more than ever at the statement.

And what he hadn't anticipated was what came out of the green best of Konoha's mouth next.

"Then my youthful heart shall wait until my Sakura-chan and her pretend boyfriend the almighty Uchiha are finished with their pretending!"

Oh, _hell._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was a good thing, most probably, that she was a very fast action-taker.

She didn't think she would be able to live this one down if she wasn't.

_Especially_ with fangirls staring at them in shock. All over.

Of course, they didn't just stare. When Lee had made the shocking announcement, most of the girls walking in the vicinity (some of which were already staring at the Uchiha, anyway) had stopped immediately—and screamed. Like a bunch of banshees (or hyenas?) that had suddenly gone on an all-out rally.

And then...chaos.

The fangirls surrounded them, a very scary mob. Some pointed. Some squealed. Some had that murderous glint in their eyes that told Sakura she wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for the three shinobi standing with her (although two of said shinobi were a bit too preoccupied, considering the blond was practically trying to pound the other to the ground).

Most, of course, had their eyes on Sasuke—and said eyes were shining with the unholy gleam of what could only be termed as predatory lust.

And determination to finally satisfy that lust.

_Of course_ it was her duty to save him, wasn't it?

_Of course._

So, without even thinking, Sakura did the only thing instinct told her to do at the moment.

She _pretended._

"Jeez, Lee...where on Kami did you even get that idea?"

"Why, Sakura-chan, it came from—" Naruto bopped him in the head once more.

Sakura nearly winced at the force, and, pitying Lee, gave Naruto another warning glare. Then she turned back to the fangirls. Met their stares.

Raised her eyebrows very, very calmly.

"—imagination, Lee," she said, softly. "Because the way I see it...there's no pretend between me and Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke remained silent, as Sakura slowly slid her hand to hold his. She intertwined their fingers, inconspicuously tugging when he resisted at first. She rested her head on Sasuke's shoulder, as lightly as she could. He stiffened a bit at first—but eventually, she felt him relax. Felt him let go.

One of the fangirls (a really pretty black-haired one, standing way in the front with her hands on her hips) sneered at the action.

"Yeah, right," the fangirl scoffed. "You wish, Pinky. I bet this was all your scheme and you just dragged poor Sasuke-kun into this, didn't you?"

"Oh, poor Sasuke-kun!"

"I love you, Sasuke-kun! I love you!"

Sakura ignored the loud chants (and offers of hot, wild comfort sex), and concentrated her narrowed eyes on the black-haired girl.

"I have a name, you know," she said in warning.

"Yeah, you do—pink freak."

"Pink freak!"

"Stupid pinkatoid! Go to hell!"

Sakura stiffened. Her narrowed eyes narrowed all the more, her temper going up. Holy hell...were these girls ever going to leave her alone? This was unfair, and undeserved, and unwanted. And really...couldn't they understand that enough was enough already? Sasuke had a life—and it was just _wrong_ for them to be doing this at all. A bit angry now (okay...a _lot_ angry), Sakura took a step forward, ready to punch if needed. Hell, she _wanted _to.

But her look of anger immediately turned to surprise, as just when she was about to take another step, she was pulled back—or rather, tugged.

Suddenly, before she could comprehend what was happening, something solid was hitting her back. Something warm.

...and hands were suddenly on her waist.

Soft. Firm. Gentle.

Thrilling.

She saw Naruto's widened blue eyes, his mouth gaping, and Lee's equally wide black eyes, astounded. She didn't look, she couldn't.

But she could feel, with every bit of her senses, as his voice vibrated near her ear. Deep. Dark.

"Her name is Sakura."

Wonderful.

Something akin to a shiver ran down her spine, sending something delicious and dangerous and simply unwanted on her skin...on her insides. She tried to steady her stance, reduce her wide eyes, as she became silent—because really...her voice wouldn't work at a time like this.

"W—what! Sasuke-kun, are you being hypnotized? Because if you are, then I am willing to punch Pinky for you—"

His hands moved, bringing her closer.

"Her name is Sakura," he repeated—this time in a darker tone. "Don't insult her."

She couldn't speak.

Not when she wanted that mouth not only near her ear...but on it. Not when she wanted to turn around, and look in his eyes, and see...if he meant it. What he was saying. What he was doing. Dear Kami—not when she wanted that mouth on hers.

Kissing her with his every breath.

Touching her as if it mattered. As if she mattered, even a bit.

But she knew it was foolish to hope.

Darn it.

She didn't need this.

"Why are you defending her?!" a feminine voice squeaked from the back of the group. "What is she to you?!"

A pause.

"She's my girlfriend."

"What? What—"

At this moment, Naruto decided to finally intervene. "Are you all deaf or something?! She's his girlfriend! _Girlfriend!_ As in, the girl he is with! The girl he is living with, even! The girl he is banging and having wild kisses and sex and make-out sessions—OWW! TEME THAT WAS UNCALLED FOR!"

"Hn. Let's go, Sakura."

Quietly, Sakura let him pull her, her mind in turmoil. Her heart, once again, beating so fast. She tried to reason it all out, to put her reactions and her thoughts and her _feelings_ in order. Her inner could help. Her inner would know what to do, even if it was wrong, even if she would never agree, even if it was just for the sake of distraction.

Inner Sakura remained painfully, surprisingly silent.

When they had finally done the walking to a point that the fangirls' screams and cries of either despair and protest could no longer be heard (because no, they did not follow them—they must have been in too much shock to do so), Sasuke stopped...and released her hand. He turned back around, to look at her.

Emotionless.

Always, always emotionless.

"You said you were taking me somewhere."

Trying to calm herself, Sakura fidgeted slightly with her hands—something she often saw Hinata do when the girl was nervous.

"Er...yeah."

It wasn't exactly working for her.

She looked at the ground, then at her fingers. She bit her lip.

She froze, when she felt his thumb touch her chin.

Slowly, his fingers tilted her head up, and made her meet his onyx gaze.

"Then let's go, Sakura."

"Sasuke-kun..."

"What?"

...are we still pretending?

"...okay," she finally murmured.

Of course they were.

_So don't be stupid._

And for once, Inner Sakura (convenient as she was, appearing once more) was right.

And Sakura had every intention of listening this time.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He had not expected her to take him here.

When she had led him on a walk again, this time without taking his hand, he had simply assumed that she would take him someplace that she felt she needed to be—like the training grounds, where she could blow off some steam. Or the fields, to just get a feel of the sun. He even expected her to go to the hospital, stubborn girl that she was—he told himself that was the reason he came with her, so he could simply drag her back home when she persisted.

But no. Not the training grounds. Not the fields. Not the hospital.

Here.

He wasn't ready.

When the Uchiha compounds came within sight, he stiffened at once. Then he stopped walking, and immediately took hold of her wrist.

"Sakura," he said sharply.

He saw her stop walking as well, her back to him. She seemed to be hesitating. Slowly, Sakura took a few steps backwards, until she was standing very close to him. She turned around, facing him.

Then she gently put her other hand on top of the one he had on her wrist.

"You need this," she murmured, softly.

A pause, in which he stared at her, and she stared at their contact.

"You don't know what I need," he grunted.

The hesitation flickered in her eyes again, though it was only for a moment. Then, it was replaced by determination, and the stubbornness that she couldn't quite hide.

"Maybe you think that," she began, "but—"

"No, Sakura."

Before she could talk or argue any further, he was suddenly disentangling their hands, and turning his back on her, on the sight. His hands were fisted on his sides now, because she had no right, she had no say—

"Stop running away, Sasuke."

_Sasuke._

"It will never be over if you do."

He closed his eyes, and tried to will her voice away. His hands remained fisted, because he didn't know what to do with them, and he didn't know what to do with himself, and—

He felt her hand on his arm, touching him lightly. He felt her presence beside him, simple and gentle and soothing.

He felt her voice near, murmuring. Whispering.

"Please."

This time, her eyes were on him. And they were green and soft and very, very intense.

"Please," she repeated, quietly.

He stared back, unemotionally.

But there was something different welling inside him.

Almost like pain.

He nodded his head. Let her take his hand again, and guide him.

"Hn."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

In the light of the morning, compared to yesterday's faint glow of dusk, it looked even worse.

Stones and broken debris were scattered nearly everywhere. The soil was upturned here and there, giving the look as if it had just been hit by a small earthquake. She couldn't see the names anymore, couldn't see the neat little patches of grass that surrounded each stone, each name. The flowers were long gone, between ruins and wet ground—either crushed to pieces, or simply hidden.

She felt him stiffen again beside her, so distinctly. She willed herself to be strong, even when the sight was heartbreaking, so, so sad. From the corner of her eye, she saw one half-standing stone, still in place.

Gently, she pulled him, and went closer to see.

This half-stone was standing near a still-intact tree. It was surrounded by tiny pieces of debris, and uprooted green grass. She saw the name. His mother's name.

"I...Karin..." _Karin. The girl who deceived you. But took it back in the end. _"...she comes here. She takes care of this place. I've never been here until yesterday."

He remained silent, so she nervously continued on.

"You should have seen this place before...before. It was filled with wonderful flowers just for your family. And—"

"Who did this, Sakura?"

She wasn't exactly surprised at the question. Sakura bit her lip, and lowered her eyes to the ground.

"I'll take care of it, Sasuke."

"Saku—"

"I'll take care of it, Sasuke...kun," she repeated.

She felt him stare at her, for a while. Then she felt his gaze shift back to the stone in front...felt his turmoil.

Something tugged inside her, making it almost painful. Quickly, Sakura pulled her hand away from his, and spoke quietly.

"You should visit this place, Sasuke-kun. We should clean it up sometime."

Silence.

"I—I'll leave you for a while. Go...talk to your family. I do that with mom and dad sometimes."

Silence.

"It...helps."

When he still remained silent, Sakura decided to do the best course—she quietly stepped aside, and away. She went somewhere near the gates, and stared off into the horizon and the fields...then she couldn't help it. She stared back to where he was.

He was just standing her, his hands on his sides. His dark hair falling on his face, covering it. He wasn't moving. It saddened her, seeing him this unemotional, this unaffected. Seeing him cold, and stoic, and—

She stopped thinking, when there was sudden movement. She nearly stopped breathing, when she saw.

Slowly, Sasuke knelt—right in the wet soil, the muddied ground. His head bowed, in hesitation.

His fingers tentatively touched the stone.

Noticing something slightly blurring her vision, Sakura blinked, and touched her skin there, near her eyes, with a finger. It came away a bit wet, a bit warm. Blinking more, she used her whole hand now, wiping what she knew wasn't supposed to be there. Then she slowly turned back around, to stare away. She wanted him to have his private moment—just like she did sometimes. Just like she and Kakashi did.

They all needed it.

Minutes passed. After a moment, Sakura felt his presence again, because he wasn't bothering to hide it. She tilted her head, and gave him a small smile.

He simply looked at her, silent.

"Um...so...let's clean this place up, and—"

"Tomorrow."

"But Sasuke—"

"Tomorrow. You're tired. I'll do it. Tomorrow."

She slowly nodded her head, pondering over the fact that yes—he was going to come back here tomorrow. Finally. Her heart brightened at the thought.

"Okay!" she practically chirped. "Now let's sleep together!"

Silence.

Realizing just what she had said, Sakura instantly turned a bright, bright red, and started stuttering. Kami, she was such an _idiot_. "Uh—I didn't mean together, _together!_" She laughed nervously, looking at anywhere but him—she was aware that he was probably staring at her, thinking she was weird. Or delusional. Or just plain _crazy. _"I—you—it's—"

She suddenly stopped speaking, when something touched the back of her neck—just as soft, and just as familiar, as it had earlier, in the kitchen.

Her heart fluttered.

"Sakura." Deep. Husky.

Her breath quietly hitched.

His fingers moved, once more. It took all her willpower not to lean in, and just feel, and let him keep on touching her, there, until she would hum and close her eyes and say his name—

"You talk too much."

Inner Sakura practically deflated.

Outer Sakura stubbornly told herself she was just _weary_ for even reacting to a measly _touch._

Darn it.

"Fine," she huffed, pouting.

Then, not even daring to glance at him, she stalked off, her head held high, her nose practically in the freaking air. When she was already a few meters off, she turned back around, and aimed him a fiery glare.

"I _like_ talking!" she yelled out.

He simply looked back—half-smirking, half-scowling in annoyance.

Then, growling and muttering, she kept on stalking.

And he followed, pants muddied and all, as she led the way home.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_From a few distances away, red eyes watched, in silence and continuity._

_Hands fisted, with so much emotion._

"_Karin, stop this."_

_She ignored the man who had spoken, and kept on looking. At the back of a raven-haired genius, following a pink-haired woman trudging off. They changed directions after a moment_—_mostly because of the pink-haired woman's initial vows and blabberings to teach a certain blond Hokage-to-be not to open his chatterbox-mouth again and spill too much information that shouldn't be divulged in the first place._

_A pause. Only the wind was heard, the chirping of birds._

_The vanishing footsteps._

"_I know you saved him in the past. With your chakra, and with your life. But you have to let go now."_

_Silence._

"_Why?" she whispered in anger, in confusion._

_From the shadows behind, he quietly stepped off, and eyed his friend in contemplation. Then his gaze turned to the ones who had just gone._

_Silence._

"_Because it's her time now. She's been doing it her whole life."_

_He could do nothing as Karin shrieked in frustration, and punched a tree bark hard. Then the red-haired girl glared at him and stalked off, tears in her eyes, and shame and guilt and anger and hurt—and yes, something near to defeat—in her heart._

_He could do nothing, as she went to the fields, and picked wildflowers again._

_So he quietly sat down, and stayed there, and watched. As she brought the flowers to the graveyard, and came back to sit with him. Back in the fields. As she cursed him, and cursed the pink-haired kunoichi, and cursed everybody in general—except her beloved, dearest Sasuke-kun._

_Juugo didn't leave._

_Because friends never left each other._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_**a/n: **Well...end of day seven. Again, it's SasuSaku moments. Not much, but I hope it will do. I don't care for Karin at all right now, but I can't just leave her out of the story. Hehe. So, there you go._

_Next chapter, day eight...and so much will be happening there! It's gonna be packed, I promise. And people thought gone? Yes...they will be coming back._

_Thanks for the reviews. Happy reading. It's my midterms week right now! Whew. Wish me luck and prayers, coz I really need it! :)_


	14. Passion

**Day Eight**

**Passion**

Dreams had always plagued him. They had never left him. It had always been that way, bordering on nightmares most of the time—nightmares that brought him nothing but cold sweat and anger and an empty, aching heart. To kill his brother. To bury the memories.

To have his family back.

They were nightmares, nothing more. Eventually, he had learned how to become unaffected—to put a wall between himself and fear and emotion, because those things had no place in his life. He was a shinobi—highly-skilled, with things to prove and goals to achieve. Emotions were useless, and just a hindrance.

At three o'clock that morning, with the sky still dark and moon shining almost serenely, he dreamed. But not of fearsome things.

He dreamed of bewitching eyes. Light, tangled hair. Lips fused with his own, giving him something that he had never felt in a long, long time. There were feather-light fingers, touching him in the most sensitive of places, and a voice—a lovely, familiar voice that moaned out his name, and moaned it out in pleasure.

Soft, soft skin.

He dreamed of his hands brushing that skin, gliding and shifting and claiming. Touching. He dreamed of his mouth trailing all over, kissing and tasting something delicious and dark and wonderfully, irresistibly forbidden. Her hands would fist on his hair, her cries for him going louder and throatier by the second. He would taste her, all of her, and discover that it was something he'd been missing, for far too long. Something he'd been wanting.

Something he'd been needing.

He dreamed of the wonderful, wonderful taste.

He dreamed of the overwhelming scent.

He dreamed that, as he took her, and filled her, and plunged into her with all the lust and desire and want and need he could never quite hide anymore, she would fill him back, and make them both lose control to the point of madness.

Sasuke dreamed.

And in that dream, all he could see, beyond all the blur, was pink hair.

And green, green eyes.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was already eleven o'clock in the morning—and for the first time in a rather long time (okay, so that was slightly an exaggeration), she was surprised.

Since when did Sasuke ever sleep in this late?

Usually, the guy was already up at dawn—either training or meditating or whatever the heck he did with his time. It was always a fascination, because in truth, Sakura wasn't really an early person—she just woke early most of the time either for a mission, or for hospital duties. Or for training, if it was really, _really_ needed.

Sasuke, in the meantime, treated the morning thing as if it was some kind of _obsession._

Except today, that is.

_And just when he _promised _that he would wake up early to do some things._

Like clean up his house, for one thing. His _real_ house.

The Uchiha compound, to be precise.

It had really been an impromptu thing, to be honest. There she was yesterday, preparing them dinner, and just whistling and chatting nonsense and slicing up vegetables in neat, precise movements. At dinner, she had smiled a lot—mostly because she had been feeling very cheerful and refreshed, after such a long afternoon nap. She had tried talking to him—and had not been deterred by his usual responses of 'hn' and 'che' and...well, 'hn'. Generally, she had just been minding her own business.

Until he brought up that one meaningful conversation.

-

"_Sakura?"_

"_Yes, Sasuke-kun?"_

-

She had been expecting another you-talk-too-much speech. Or, considering how not-talkative he was being, another shut-up reprimand. She had been prepared to retaliate, of course—after all, she was Haruno Sakura, and Haruno Sakura _never_ backed down from a fight (well...at least she tried not to).

What he said next had left her pretty speechless, though.

-

"_Six a.m. tomorrow. After I train."_

"_Huh?"_

"_...I'm cleaning up the Uchiha compound."_

_Green eyes widened._

"_Wha—"_

"_Come if you like."_

-

She wouldn't deny that even after he had gone, she was still frozen there, on the kitchen counter (where she had insisted they eat together for once, however casual it was), her mouth agape and her green eyes wide with incredulity. Then, she couldn't help herself—she had begun grinning like an idiot afterwards, and had proceeded to clean up the kitchen with renewed vigor and doubled cheerfulness.

It had taken about ten minutes.

She had slept early afterwards—too excited to do so, but determined to sleep all the same, just for that compound-cleaning purpose. She had woken up _earlier_ than the alarm clock itself—at a time when the sun was still not up, and the apartment was still very dark. She had showered (yes, in the cold), and had dressed, and had gotten the coffee ready. Then, not knowing what to do anymore, she had waited.

And waited.

...and waited.

She had waited until around eight o'clock, before going to bother him—only to discover one thing.

His door was _locked._

Since when did he lock his bedroom door, when he didn't even lock his _front _door?

It was intriguing, to say the least.

And annoying.

But she wanted to be respectful—and so, had quietly gone back down to wait.

And wait.

...and wait.

Sighing slightly, Sakura slumped in the kitchen chair, her nails making rhythmic noises on the counter. She had already finished her third cup of coffee, and her second apple—and it was nearing lunch. She couldn't believe she'd been awake so early—only to have to wait and get herself worked up over nothing. Where was his consideration? Where were his manners?

Darn it—_what_ could have kept him from waking up?

A bit bothered by the thought, she bit her lip. Indeed...that question had merit. However much of a jerk the Uchiha was, one thing couldn't really be faulted about him—he was always, always punctual.

What if something happened to him, without her knowledge?

Worried now, Sakura stood up, and practically flew up the stairs. She stopped at his room, and tried the door once more—which was still locked, of course. She really didn't want to ruin it, because she knew he wouldn't want that (heck, he would be pissed off!), and...

Her eyes fell on the door beside the one she was standing in front of.

_Bathroom, Sakura. Duh._

Right.

Without thinking, Sakura moved—opened the bathroom door, and went inside the bathroom. His bathroom. It wasn't locked. Not stopping, she turned to the other door inside, and proceeded to turn the knob as quietly as she could. She took out a kunai, holding it in the air in caution. If something happened to him and she had just been _waiting_ like an idiot the whole time, she wouldn't forgive herself. The door opened fully now, and Sakura stealthily let herself in, kunai gripped harder and concentrating on any foreign sound or movement or—

She stared.

_What the—?_

He was...okay.

In bed. Under the covers.

Sleeping.

She dropped the kunai, relieved at the sight. Then, the relief vanished, to be replaced by nothing but sheer irritation.

He was okay.

In bed.

_...sleeping??_

"Sasuke!" she hissed.

He stirred, but did not wake up.

She began to envy his peacefulness.

Growling a bit in her throat now, Sakura stalked closer, not bothering to hide her footsteps. She stopped beside the bed and folded her arms, tapping her right foot on the carpeted floor. She waited, hoping he would hear her, hoping he would feel guilty and _finally_ wake up.

He didn't.

Scowling now, Sakura placed her hands on her hips.

"Sasuke-kun?" she grumbled.

Silence.

She threw both hands in the air. Then, poised them right in front of him, ready to rip the covers off.

Oh, he was going to have a _very_ rough wake-up call, if he kept this up.

She began to smirk.

"Sasuke-kun, if you don't wake up this moment, I'll make you suffer," she said. She grabbed the covers. Pulled. "Because I woke up at—_eep!_"

Her smirk instantly became a gasp of shock, as, right after pulling said covers, a reaction came. She wasn't prepared for a hand to suddenly come up—and instantly grab hold of her wrist, before she could so much as retaliate. She wasn't prepared for said hand to pull her, so hard that her balance got disrupted—in less than a second, she was knocked out of her remaining breath and lying flat on the bed, his fingers secured firmly on her pressure points, ready to render her unconscious if need be.

She wasn't prepared to be trapped—to be pinned down by a hard, warm body, with nowhere to go and nothing between them, except the sheets tangled down his waist and...nothing else. He was naked. He was warm.

He was aroused.

And he was pressed snugly onto every contour of her being. Every single curve.

She wasn't prepared for her own body's betrayal.

Her eyes quietly blurred. Her breath quietly hitched. Before she knew what she was doing, she was moving her hips, and arching into him—into the heat that was centered below, the heat that was travelling from his sheets into—

"Sakura."

His mouth was near her ear—sending rumbling vibrations with just those words, just that voice. She wanted to moan out her response—she was drowning in the feeling, his heat, his scent. Masculine. Dark. Wonderful...

"Stop."

"I—wha—" She couldn't speak properly. She couldn't breathe properly.

"Stop squirming."

She froze.

And it took only that moment to realize just exactly what she had been doing. While trapped, underneath a naked man—a fully-aroused, all-muscled naked man.

She'd been reacting.

Like a damn _slut._

In an instant, horrified, Sakura proceeded to do what she should have done in the first place.

She began struggling.

"Sakura—"

Struggled more.

"I'm sorry—"

More.

"Sakura—"

_More._

"I didn't mean—"

She should have known it was the wrong move.

"Damn it, Sakura—_stop_ moving."

To struggle—and only intensify the contact.

The heat built up—and so did the glorious ache in her belly, as his hands on her skin tightened, as his arousal grew all the more apparent. Before she knew it, an answering spark erupted inside her, making her close her eyes, and nearly, very nearly whimper.

He stilled immediately.

...and so did she.

"Just—don't move," he rasped out, through gritted teeth.

She obeyed, and tried very hard to regulate her uneven breathing. Her loudly-pounding heart.

Silence.

Slowly, she could feel his own breathing go back to normal, away from the harsh pants it was going through earlier. She opened her eyes, her still-blurry vision trying to focus onto something, trying to hold onto something.

Lust. This was just lust. Nothing more.

_His dreams are of someone else. Probably Saori. Or Karin. His reaction is not for you. It's not you, Sakura._

_Don't be stupid._

"What are you doing in my room?" His voice was still near her ear, but not by much now. His tone was unreadable.

"I was worried. You—you didn't wake up early," she replied, her voice soft.

"I locked the door."

"I—bathroom."

Silence.

"It's nearly lunchtime," she said, her voice now a murmur. Her insides were still churning, her skin going softer and softer with his presence. Yielding. Unable to help herself, she turned her head, closer to him, her mouth near his own ear. She could see his hair, so dark and falling on his face. She could see his pale skin.

He didn't move.

"I—Sasuke-kun?" Her voice was now a mere, silent whisper.

She wanted to kiss him. To kiss him, and to just give in. To the yearning. To the feeling.

His fingers moved, subtly.

...then before she knew it, the weight was gone, and she was no longer being pinned down. The warmth was gone, and so was the scent, the presence.

"I'll be down soon," he said.

"I—"

"You should knock next time."

Then the bathroom door was closed. Locked.

And she was alone in his room.

Slowly, Sakura sat up, and stared at the door, almost blindly. Slowly, she put a palm on her heart, to calm it down. To ease herself down. It didn't take a genius to know it was dismissal, to understand what just transpired would never be spoken of again. Would be ignored, because it wasn't supposed to happen. And it meant nothing.

She had asked him not to kiss her anymore, hadn't she?

_It's just lust. It's just lust, Sakura._

Just lust.

Nothing more.

Then why was her heart suddenly aching so badly?

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Sakura-chan! Why is the shark freak here in the kitchen with us?"

"Hey, pretty lady! Why is the Hokage-wannabe here in the kitchen with us?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the supposed insult. Hokage-wannabe? It was pathetic, to say the least—mostly because it didn't really have any basis (unlike the shark freak thing, which _did_). _Of course_ he was going to be Hokage someday. That was already a given.

Nevertheless, the blond boy decided not to comment anymore, because he had other important things in mind at the moment. Like the fact that Sakura was there, standing just right in front of them, and any insult thrown back and forth would only subject them to her signature punches and infamous morning temper—a scary, scary thing, really. Besides, the ear-talking she gave him yesterday still lingered, as well as the threats to do real harm the next time he dared to accidentally let slip the secret again. Also, there was the fact that she was now cooking for lunch (sure, it wasn't ramen, but from the way the brew was simmering, it smelled really, _really_ good). And the fact that she just might not share if he didn't behave.

...and the fact that she was painfully, oddly silent.

Since when was his Sakura-chan _this_ silent?

Puzzled, Naruto opted to keep his mouth shut, and simply observe. She had her side turned to them, and was neatly slicing tomatoes into thin little pieces. Her eyes seemed preoccupied on the task—but she was biting her lip, as if thinking of something else.

"Sakura-chan?"

Silence.

"Hey, pretty lady!"

She blinked. Then her eyes seemed to clear, as she turned to look at them.

Naruto gave the white-haired ex-missing nin a raised eyebrow, before turning to his pink-haired teammate with a grin plastered wide on his face.

"Aren't you going to cook ramen?" he whined cheerfully.

Her lips quirked. With a roll of her eyes, she gave him a mock-glare, and turned to what she was doing.

"Shut it, Naruto," she said, lightly. "My stew is _way_ better than ramen."

"I think whatever you cook is way better than ramen," Suigetsu put in charmingly.

Naruto glared at him, and scoffed.

"Yeah. Says the meat fanatic," he intoned.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes. "What? It's delicious—unlike your stinking ramen—"

"HEY!"

"Boys! Behave!"

They shut up at once.

Sighing, Naruto gave Suigetsu one last glare (which was enthusiastically returned), before turning his attention back to the girl who he was trying to figure out. Yes, she was acting pretty odd today—she hadn't kicked them out of the apartment yet.

She remained silent, and surprisingly, so did the white-haired freak. Naruto quietly pondered as he gazed at Sakura, while she bustled around the kitchen like a content little civilian. She sliced more vegetables. Washed them with precision and care, before dumping them on the simmering stew. Set some bowls out, then some spoons. Looked up in the cupboards. Frowned.

Sighed.

Then, with her back to them, she stood on tiptoes, and went to reach out for something on said cupboards.

Now, Naruto may have Hinata, but he was still pretty much a man—and, as one, he could say he was still entitled to appreciate a woman's behind, in a spectator's non-involved kind of way. Sakura's behind was a really nice thing, it seemed—a firm bottom, and very well-rounded, encased in short cottony shorts that shifted every time she moved and tried to reach higher, and very much showed-off her rather creamy and toned legs. Nice, nice legs...

It was at that exact moment that a certain Uchiha decided to show up.

Naruto scowled immediately.

Promptly, he turned his attention to the raven-haired teme, ready to harass the guy with explanations for certain absences (they were supposed to have training this morning, after all). He stopped, when he saw where the guy was looking at. Blinked. The scowl left his face, to say the least.

Naruto stared.

Sasuke was staring at Sakura.

No, wait. Scratch that.

He was staring at Sakura's...behind.

And he was doing it rather intensely.

Being the Uchiha, of course, he was doing it in his own subtle way—his gaze unreadable, and not showing any kind of emotion. But Naruto _knew_ Sasuke—he knew the guy almost like the back of his hand. Hell, almost like he knew the different delicious flavors of ramen at Ichiraku (and other restaurants, for that matter). Being the perceptive and amazing guy that he was, he didn't miss the way the gaze travelled slowly (and subtly), from her bare tiptoeing feet, upwards, to somewhere on her neck. It lingered on the neck. He didn't miss the way that gaze flickered on her shorts and how it pulled rather sweetly on her bottom as she shifted again, and tried to reach up all the more. He didn't miss the flash of irritation in Sasuke's eyes—mixed with something deeper, something new—before the emotionless mask slipped on again.

Most of all, he didn't miss the white knuckles.

Before he could observe any further, Sakura let out an impatient huff.

"Could somebody _please_ help me get the stupid sugar up here?"

Suigetsu, grinning and looking on in admiration (yes, the guy was obviously staring at the sweet rump, too), stood up, and proceeded to open his mouth to volunteer.

In an instant, red Sharingan eyes were snapping to him in a dangerous stare.

Suigetsu reluctantly sat back down, his grin turning sheepish.

Naruto simply remained silent, and kept on observing. As Sasuke turned off his Sharingan, and quietly went to where Sakura was standing. As he stood behind her, and, without further ado, effortlessly reached up and took the small sugar jar without so much as a hassle.

As her shoulders tensed, when their bodies made slight contact.

Naruto stared.

So _that's_ what's wrong.

He kept on staring, as Sasuke silently handed the jar to Sakura. She blinked—and took it with a small, silent (_whispery_) thank you.

There was a sweet little flush on her earlier-fine cheeks.

Still silent (except for some light responding to Suigetsu's harmless teasing about her height), she kept on cooking. Still silent, Sasuke took out some drinking glasses, and put them in front of the two so-called (translation: uninvited) apartment visitors.

"What are you doing here?" he asked them, bluntly.

"Visiting Sakura-chan," Naruto replied automatically.

"Visiting the pretty lady," Suigetsu said at the same time.

They both glared at each other. Sasuke glared at them. Sighing, Naruto turned his attention back to Sasuke, and grinned.

"Well, and to beat you at practice!" he yelled enthusiastically in the air. "You blew me off, teme—now _I _will blow your ass off!"

Suigetsu scoffed.

Sakura's lips twitched.

Sasuke kept on glaring.

Then, the Uchiha grunted, and went off to get his weapons from his room—with parting words that he would beat a certain dobe (he was not a dobe!) at practice after lunch.

Naruto grinned wider, his blue eyes now sparkling in mischief. Because other than beating the teme at practice, there was one more thing he was planning (pretty determined) to do.

Oh, this was going to be an interesting afternoon.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"You're falling in love with him."

Sakura stared up, surprise written in her eyes. Blue eyes stared back, expression contemplative. There was a second or so of silence before Sakura finally realized what the proper reaction was.

She scoffed.

"Jeez, Pig...are you so desperate for gossip that you'd actually invent something that lame?"

Usually, the sarcastic comment would have been enough to send the blond girl into a roll of sarcastic comments thrown back—it was routine, to say the least. She would flip her hair, roll her eyes, and spout off as many witty remarks as she could—and Sakura, naturally, would do the same.

But Ino didn't follow routine this time.

Instead, she kept on staring, her mouth eerily silent. The gaze narrowed.

_Ting._

Sakura nearly sighed out in relief, as the bell on the Yamanaka Flower Shop door tinkled, and a set of customers immediately entered. Avoiding Ino's irritated look (more to the customers than to her, really), Sakura hastily hopped off the counter, and went to the shop's far right, away from view, where gorgeous exotic flowers were artistically arranged. Reaching it, she leaned on the wall, and simply stared at a purple bloom right in front of her. She inhaled, loving the almost intoxicating scent.

She sighed.

No. She wasn't falling for him. She _wasn't_.

...she couldn't.

It didn't help, however, that her heart was beating too wildly for her own good. That her pulse was quickening now, at the images that flashed through her mind at the simple mention of his name. How he took care of her, that night, when she wanted nothing to do with him. How he acted like a jerk, but deep inside, valued what friendship was, however he tried not to. How he hurt still, so much, from all the pain his past had given him. How he tried to hide that pain, those emotions. Tried to be stubbornly strong.

How he kissed her.

How he protected her.

How it felt when the warmth of his body and touches ignited something—

"Oh. My. Kami."

Sakura snapped out of her thoughts, at the sudden sound of a voice beside her. Ino. Immediately, she began to realize that the bell was already on its last tinkle—meaning the customers were now gone.

Immediately, she began to realize that her hand was clenched—right around the purple flower. It was now practically crushed to death, petals and stem and all.

She squeaked. Flushed.

Then she began stammering.

"Oh! Pig, I'm so sorry! So stupid of me to—"

She was cut off when Ino waved a hand impatiently.

"Whatever, Forehead. Forget the stupid flower."

Then, without further ado, the blond took Sakura's wrist, and promptly proceeded to drag her back to the counter. The moment they reached it, Ino whirled to face her, hands on hips.

"I was wrong. You're not falling for him," Ino declared.

Sakura blinked. Inwardly sighed. Cleared her throat.

Agreed.

"Well, as I've already mentioned, I am not—"

"You're already in love."

Well...that certainly left her little speech down the drain. Sakura stopped talking at once, and tried to come up with something brilliant or deductive or mind-blowing to say. Something truly genius, that nobody would even so much as _doubt_ that she was telling the truth, and nothing but the certified, absolute truth.

She came up with nothing_._

Ino smirked.

"You are _so_ in love with him!"

Sakura flushed, as Ino's voice got louder—a trait that pretty much resembled a megaphone at high volume. Folding her arms, Sakura began hissing—and, to her horror, stuttering. "I am not—where did you get—that's not even—why the _hell_ are you smirking?!"

"Because I am so going to win the beat—and you are so going to run around naked in Konoha, Forehead!"

At this, the blond girl practically began cackling in glee. Sakura glared.

"Not going to happen, Pig," she insisted stubbornly.

Ino kept on smirking.

"Stop smirking," Sakura growled. To her dismay, the blond's smirk only grew wider, her blue eyes twinkling with merriment. Quickly disentangling Sakura's folded arms, she clasped their hands together.

"So, how did it feel?" she asked giddily.

"Huh?"

"You know, having sex with that sexy piece of a—"

"Pig!" Sakura admonished. Ino ignored her.

"Don't tell me you guys didn't do it yet, because from the way you guys were going at it on the training grounds just a few days ago—"

"_Pig_! You were _spying_??"

"—it's only natural that—" Her words stopped, not because of what Sakura accused (the spying thing)—but because of a sudden realization.

Well, mostly with the way Sakura's hands were going rigid, to be more precise.

Ino's eyes widened.

"Oh. My. Kami."

"_What _now?"

"You big _prude_. You didn't bang him yet, did you?"

Complete, utter silence.

Ignoring Sakura's ever-reddening cheeks and mutters about crude language and pesky busybodies, Ino went on. "I can't believe you! Sweetie, don't you want to? I mean, just the pleasures...you should see how Shikamaru pleasures me with his—"

She was promptly shut up by Sakura's released hand on her mouth.

"I don't wanna hear it," Sakura interrupted, mortified.

The blond rolled her eyes.

"Ferrfurhsnlegneh," she mumbled into the mouth.

"And I'm breaking up with him tomorrow," Sakura said firmly.

The blond's eyebrows rose.

Sakura hesitated.

"...and I'm not in love with him."

A pause.

"And neither is he with me."

Another pause. Removing her hand now, Sakura looked at Ino in certainty.

"...it's all impossible, anyway."

For a moment, no one spoke. They only stared at each other—one defiant and stubborn to the core, the other now sad.

Finally, the blond sighed, and threw her hands up in the air.

"Okay, fine. _Fine_." She smiled. Then, grinned. "But don't be too sure."

"And why not?"

A pause.

"Because twenty-four hours is still plenty of time to be tempted by the great Uchiha, Forehead."

_Indeed._

Sakura scoffed.

"Oh, puh-lease. I have more willpower than that."

Hopefully.

Really, _really_ hopefully.

_You're a big fat liar, you know that?_

"Shut up," Sakura inwardly muttered. Shaking her head at her inner (whiny, annoying, sex-crazed inner) self, she proceeded to head to the front of the shop, to clear her mind and look at a bunch of bright red bellflowers that really, really looked like they deserved a space in a certain kitchen right now (she needed to buy a vase, pronto).

And really, she just wanted some time away from her just-too-loudmouthed best friend (one of two).

She stopped. She stared.

Then her green orbs narrowed—though not at the flowers.

But at the sight of three familiar girls, outside the glass doors, just across the street...giggling at each other.

_Very_ familiar girls.

"Pig?"

"Hmm? What, Forehead?"

"Close up the shop for a while? For me?"

Ino's eyebrows rose. "...why?"

"I need your...erm, help for a moment."

"...what for?"

Slowly, Sakura smiled. Sweetly.

"To teach some real bitches a lesson they won't forget."

Ino stared.

"They tried to manipulate me," Sakura added, not really wanting to elaborate further. It seemed she didn't need to, because in an instant, Ino stopped staring—and began slowly, slowly grinning.

Evilly.

"Ooh, adventure! Intrigue! Sure, Forehead!"

Without further ado, she clapped her hands once, and immediately began closing up.

And Sakura began plotting. Nervously.

_This is for you, Uchiha family._

She dearly hoped she was doing the right thing.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"You want her."

A contact of kunai. Metals slapping.

"Hn."

"Teme, I have no idea what that _hn_ of yours means, but I do know one thing. You want her."

No response.

"Heck, you may even _like_ her."

Still no response.

"In fact, the more I think about it, the more I'm inclined to believe that you're going gaga ove—"

The sentence was stopped, as a string of large fireballs were suddenly thrown his way.

Naruto grinned, and promptly vanished with a poof.

The fight was long-distance from then on, until two hours later, when kunai met kunai again.

"You want her."

"Shut up, dobe."

Ah. A response.

The clenched jaws gave the blond immense satisfaction.

"Just admit it, teme."

"There's nothing to admit."

"Liar. I see how you look at her. Or touch he—"

_Bam__!_

More fire jutsus, which Naruto reluctantly evaded. He shouted from his spot on the tree branch he landed on.

"Don't worry! I'm not gonna pummel you if you admit it!"

"...like you ever could, dobe."

"HEY! I RESENT THAT!"

"Hn."

"BASTARD!"

And the fight went on. Two more hours later, the two finally collapsed to the ground, exhausted (not that they were willing to admit it, of course). Naruto stared at the darkening sky, his expression thoughtful. Then he tilted his head, and stared at his companion.

"She likes you too, you know."

Silence.

Naruto scoffed. "She's got bad taste, if you ask me."

"Nobody asked."

"I don't care. I'm still saying."

Naruto grinned, at the annoyed look on the other's face.

"Teme?"

"..hn."

The grin turned grim.

"Just don't hurt her. I'll kill you if you do."

Silence.

Then the grim look became a sudden wide beam.

"Now go and show her the pleasurable things an Uchiha bastard can do with his—OW! TEME!"

"Stop talking."

Naruto rubbed his head, and winced. Then, glared. Sasuke merely took his katana from its spot on the forest floor, and proceeded to walk off.

As if on cue, raindrops fell. Thunder rumbled.

"Hey! Where the hell are you going?"

"Hn."

"Teme!" Naruto whined loudly. "Where are you—"

"Home."

"But the bar thing later with the others! You—"

"I'll be there."

Naruto pouted. "Then what about Ichiraku! You're supposed to be nice and treat me—" He trailed off, when he observed further. Saw further.

How tensed the teme's shoulders were. How the frustration was clear on the face (which, of course, only a brilliant person like himself could spot, under the so-called mask). How the teme's knuckles were so white again, just like in the kitchen when...oh.

_Oh._

Realization dawned on him, and his eyes widened. He stared, as his dark-haired friend vanished into the now-increasing rain. His blond brows practically rose in the air.

Slowly, he grinned.

Then, whistling to himself, Naruto stood up, too, and, in the best of moods, went on to find his own lovely, pale-eyed girl, to kiss her senseless (hopefully, she'd be out in the rain today, to make it all more...erm, romantic) and turn her to mush.

He dearly hoped his Sakura-chan was prepared for what the teme had in store.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She was in a very good mood.

Whistling to herself, Sakura sat in her bed (well, okay—the _guest_ bed), reminiscing the event that had just happened earlier. Facing the stupid (_malicious!_) fangirls. Saying her piece.

Standing her ground.

Simply put, she and Ino were _priceless. _A wonderful tandem.

_And cha! We sure kicked some girly butt!_

The best thing was, she wasn't feeling the least bit guilty about it.

_Because they so deserved it! Oh, yeah!_

Inner Sakura was practically rolling around in pure, wicked glee.

Unable to keep the grin off her face, Sakura stood back up, and prepared herself for a much-needed hot shower. Promptly, she took off her clothes, and stood in her underwear, towel in hand. It was already raining cats and dogs outside—obviously, the little trip to Sasuke's compound was going to have to be cancelled for the moment.

_Sasuke._

At the simple thought of him, Inner Sakura shut up, and became silent once again. She stayed in a corner, leaving only a small ache somewhere in Sakura's heart. At the whirlwind of emotions that was her life, just about lately. At the bet, and the pretend.

At what happened this morning.

_Who were you dreaming of?_

It was none of her business. _None._

Inner Sakura agreed, and settled in the recesses on her mind. Sakura closed her eyes, and told herself it all didn't matter, anyway.

After all, she was breaking up with him tomorrow.

After all...it all meant nothing.

Refusing to think about it any further, Sakura kept the smile on her face, and resumed the humming, loving how the rain was becoming louder and louder, and how it was pitter-pattering on the closed windows and the roof. She hummed some more, her senses heightened with every sound.

Which was why she was able to hear, very distinctly, the door of her bedroom opening.

_Click._

Not so subtly.

Her eyes snapped open. In an instant, she had one hand covering her body with her towel (barely), and another grasping a kunai. However, the grip on the kunai loosened, as she stared. As she froze, when she saw who it was. She gaped for a moment, at the damp, slightly drenched figure, her mouth opening and closing in bewilderment. Like an idiot.

Then she began flushing like a very ripe tomato.

"Sasuke-kun—what the—I'm not dressed—what do you—"

He walked closer.

His onyx eyes were pinning hers with something she couldn't comprehend. She wanted to grow angry, she really did—but there was a dangerous aura surrounding him, a tension that she couldn't understand. What was wrong? What was happening?

...why was he looking at her that way?

"Sasuke—get out, let me get—I—"

"It didn't mean nothing."

His voice was blunt. Dark.

Sensual.

It took her a moment to register what he was saying—and when it finally did, something in her insides jolted. Something in her heart screamed. Pounded so hard, its beat increasing and increasing.

"_It meant nothing, Sakura."_

The kiss.

Everything.

Her pulse quickened. Her mouth went dry. Her lips parted, to say something, _anything_, to break this, to let go of this moment, because he had to be kidding, and she didn't think she could take it anymore if—

He came closer.

Her breath hitched.

And suddenly, everything was happening in fast motion.

Before she could move, or talk, or react, he was suddenly in front of her, moving her, until her back was to the wall, his heat surrounding her. Heat through the wetness, the cold. His breath so, so near. She could only stand, and stare, and feel, as his hands touched her elbow, her arms, her skin—as everything inside her lit and fired up at the simple contact.

As the ache grew. As her belly quivered.

"I—Sasuke-kun—"

She didn't finish, because the next moment, his mouth was on hers. Passionate. Warm. Bruising.

Hungry.

She didn't respond, but froze once more. Just froze, as he kissed her, and kissed her, and...kissed her. Touched her.

Made her realize something that she had been denying, all this time. Made her realize that no...it didn't seem she could deny it any longer.

Her towel and kunai dropped to the floor.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It had always been an insignificant blur for him in the past—all the heated contact, the unmeant kisses, and the finding of release. With Saori, it had all been basic—urges that any man would have from time to time, quelled by a quick night of passion or so. She had always accommodated, and he had found he couldn't complain. After all, there had always been no emotion, no real desire to drown in the feeling. He would eventually forget, and get on with his training, his duties. His life.

It wasn't a blur this time.

No. Not when he could feel, and hear everything so clearly. As her breath hitched, and helplessly became swallowed by his own. As her body froze, and tried to hold steady, and fight, against the assault he was doing—the hungry, unsuppressed kisses he was taking from her.

As, bit by aching bit, her hand hesitantly came up, and blindly spread against his damp, shirt-covered chest.

As her body yielded, and slowly melted under his touch.

...as she finally, finally gave in.

Her breath was still hitching, something akin to panic and confusion radiating from her. But she was giving in. She was slowly, shyly responding.

And he was drowning.

He was quickly, helplessly—_unbelievably_—drowning.

"S—Sasuke..."

And this time, he wanted the feeling more than anything in the world.

"S—Sasuke...I..."

He soothed her, by deepening the kisses. His hands went on, and kept touching her skin. Soft, so soft. Warm. She tasted delicious and wonderful, and so much more than any erotic dream could ever be.

She tasted purely like Sakura.

Mindlessly, his mouth left hers, earning him a whimper—but her whimper became a soft, wonderful moan, as said mouth streaked down, and tasted her earlobes, her cheeks, her jaws, her throat. Her unbelievably silky skin. He nipped and tasted, letting himself have his fill.

She gripped his damp hair, and let him.

Eventually, he found his way to her mouth all over again. He kissed her again. This time, the response was more heated—she kissed him back, her tongue coming out, battling with his own. His hands roamed. One hand trailed up, from her waist to her stomach. Up, to the edge of her lacey, nearly transparent bra. He saw her brilliant green eyes snap open, as his thumb grazed a stiff, puckered pink nipple. He watched, rubbing, as those eyes darkened. Blurred.

As she arched herself closer, willing, into his roaming hands. As she pulled him closer.

As she said his name over and over again.

His loins screamed. His blood pounded.

His entire being throbbed.

_Sakura..._

Maybe it was becoming a blur already, but everything was still so distinct. So amazing. A contrast of sorts—just like they both were. Her responses...her touches...his need. There was no denying it now. He wanted her, only her.

Nobody else.

_Bam. Bam. Bam._

There was a sound somewhere in the roaring in his head, but he paid no attention, as they went on and on with the kisses, the touches. He wanted her. Needed. So much. Like air. He wanted her heart beating fast, her pulse quickening, her breaths uneven—all for him.

He wanted her naked, and him naked, and both of them drenched in the desire of what was to come. This was just lust, wasn't it? This _had_ to be just lust.

Why did it feel so different?

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

She moaned, as his hands went down, and settled on her hipbones. Rubbed. As his fingers slowly went in, under the sides of her panties, prepared to bring them down, and touch her where the heat and the energy was coming out of the most.

She was trembling, and vibrating, and pressing so, so close to him.

And he began to realize...this wasn't just lust anymore.

"Sasuke—kun..." Her voice was now throaty, and desperately needy.

_Call me Sasuke._

_Just Sasuke._

The undergarments came down an inch.

_Bam. Bam. Bam._

Another inch.

Her fingers fluttered under his shirt. Traced.

Made him nearly go insane.

He kissed her harder—and with one uncontrollable move, shifted, and ground, and pressed even closer, so that heat could meet heat, and intensify everything. She jolted, and softly cried out, her eyes fluttering open once more in shock, in blurry, blurry need. He brought his hands on her legs, ready to bring them up, and bring her to the soft mattresses so he could finally, finally taste all. Take all.

Claim.

_BAM BAM BAM!_

In the midst of the perfect blur, he stopped—as his brain finally registered the sound.

_BAM! BAM! BAM!_

It was the door.

They weren't alone.

And Kami damn it...he couldn't do it like this.

Because he didn't want this to be quick, and meaningless.

With all the self-control left in his body, Sasuke did the hardest thing possible, at the moment. He tried to stop himself—to get his sanity back.

He pulled away.

Distinctly, he felt her hands pulling him back in, softly. He gritted his teeth, as the need only grew, only heightened at the gesture.

He resisted.

"There's—someone at the door," he whispered, through harsh, quiet breaths, his forehead resting on her own.

Her hands loosened. For a moment, he let himself gaze, taking note of how she looked as she stared at him, her expression dazed, her hair mussed. Her cheeks flushed. Her mouth swollen. Tempting. He wanted nothing more than to continue, and to take hard. To give. Right here, right now.

...he resisted.

Slowly, he bent down, and retrieved the towel from the floor. Slowly, he put it in her hands, and tried to ignore the way she was still staring at him so, so innocently. He gave in one more time, and put his lips on the shell of her soft, soft ear.

"Get dressed. It's dobe. We have somewhere to go to."

Then, before he could lose control completely—_because he was on the brink already, and he knew one more of that look, those touches, would drive him over the edge where there was just no turning back—_he backed away, and didn't look back. He let himself out, and closed her bedroom door with a soft, quiet click.

There was time later.

Tonight.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_"Shizune?"_

_"Yes, Hokage-sama?"_

_"...why do I see three hysterical girls hanging by their feet on the Hokage mountain?"_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**_a/n_: **_whew. Finally done this (next, I'll update **SD** and **BLP**). 7000+ words, probably my longest yet. I hope it's not too long or anything. And...i hope you guys like this chapter. By the way, Naruto calling Sakura "his Sakura-chan" is an endearment_—_nothing romantic involved. And yeah...I hope the fangirl thing wasn't too harsh (they're not dead, by the way. Hehe)._

_Continuation of day eight will be on next chapter. More stuff to come (heat and fluff and drama and comedy, if I can fit it all in)! So, happy reading, guys. And thanks for the reviews, and the luck-wishing for my midterms. Review again if you can (I love reviews!). -smiles-_

_Shameless plugging: check out **zakuro92**'s awesome sasusaku vid with the song "Leave out all the Rest" by Linkin Park (link is on my profile page, on the 'things to check out' section). Awesome, I tell you. Really cool._


	15. Secrets Untold

**Day Eight**

**Secrets Untold**

The get-together at the same bar as a few days ago, _Jenzo_,was well on its way by the time Ino and Shikamaru had decided to show up—all flushed, and looking a bit disheveled, especially around the mouth.

Well, Shikamaru was.

Ino pretty much looked extra cheerful, and perfectly glamorous, her hair and clothes and make-up in place, and her grin dazzlingly stretching a mile a minute.

She looked around, and saw that most of the Rookie Nine, along with their ex-senseis, were there—with additions, of course, like Anko, Genma and the whole ex-team Hebi. Looking a bit further, she immediately spotted her best friend (who wouldn't, with such vibrant hair color?), in between Juugo and a rather chatty Tenten.

She eyed the pink-haired girl for a moment.

Ino's blue eyes lit up in approval at the girl's choice of clothes for the night—a classy, summery, light-green, string-strapped dress that stopped at her ankles, and pretty much just _flowed_ there. Sakura had no jewelry on—another thing that met Ino's approval. It was sweet, and sexy, and looked so darn innocent that any red-blooded, fully-hormonal man (except her Shika-kun, of course, because the man was as good as dead if his eyes so much as _lingered_) would be stupid not to appreciate, and be stumbling and sputtering for her attention, and—

Her thoughts stopped at the last thought. Ino frowned.

...so why wasn't a _certain_ red-blooded, fully-hormonal man all over her already?

Still frowning, the blond shifted her gaze, and landed on another figure sitting right in front of Sakura, at the same table. Her eyes narrowed at the sight.

He was there, alright.

With a certain red-haired, four-eyed chick practically hanging all over him.

Not that he was paying attention, of course. But _still._

"Shika-kun?"

"...hm?"

She smiled, and fluttered her lashes prettily. "You wouldn't mind if I devote my time to someone other than you for a second, would you?"

"...?"

She squealed. "Oh, you're the best!" Ino kissed him soundly on the mouth, and purposely strode off to her table destination (she could hear her beloved pineapple-headed man muttering the word troublesome, but she really didn't mind), where her target was sitting leisurely, a cup of sake in hand and a rather calm expression on his face. When she got there, she planted herself right in front of him, firmly.

Then she smiled, in the most coy, convincing manner that any trained kunoichi could—with a plan in mind, and a goal waiting to be achieved.

After all, she had a bet to win.

And a best friend to make happy.

"Sai...could you do me a _teensy-weensy_ favor?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She was trying to avoid him.

She was trying to avoid him, and succeeding.

...well, at least she hoped so.

It wasn't exactly that difficult, what's with Tenten being as bright and alert as a chatterbox who had taken a whole bottle of her energy vitamins that morning (translation: the girl was obviously slightly drunk).

"So, what do you think is the better weapon choice for field training, shuriken or kunai?"

"I don't know, Tenten...I guess it depends on which weapon you're more accustomed to."

There was a rather loud scoff. "Oh, come on, Sakura—that's such an inaccurate answer! Jeez. Hey, Juugo, what about you? Which do you think is better?"

Juugo gave a quiet, shy smile.

"I've always preferred the kunai, Tenten-san."

Tenten grinned. "San? Since when have I been san? Just call me Tenten! Anyway, I've always thought the kunai's better—but I've always been accustomed to using shuriken...I don't know, I guess it's always been more flexible, in my opinion."

From the side, right beside Juugo, Suigetsu smirked.

"Girlie, the giant sword is _always_ the better choice. Trust me."

Sakura opened her mouth, to try to reprimand Suigetsu for his name-calling.

She shut it back, and sighed, when she saw Tenten's brown eyes already narrowing.

Oh, well.

Almost as if on cue, the brown-haired girl hissed.

"Did you just call me _girlie_?"

Still oblivious, the white-haired man shrugged. "Well...you're a girl, aren't you? Unless that Hyuuga guy you're dating is actually a girl—and that's not exactly farfetched, coz jeez, look at that guy's hair—and you're the man in your weird relationship..."

Silence.

Juugo shook his head in clear resignation.

Sakura's lips tried not to twitch.

"You did not just say that!" Tenten screamed.

"I was just being hone—oww! Hey! What was that for?!"

"Consider yourself lucky Neji-dear is on a mission!"

Neji-dear?

"Oh, come on, Tenten..." Suigetsu whined—then screamed, when Tenten bopped him in the head once more. _Hard._

"It's Tenten-san to you!" she yelled, proudly.

And with that, the weapons master huffed away (okay, more like _stuttered_ away), looking all indignant and pissed-off. Sakura and Juugo looked at Suigetsu in mild disapproval.

He merely scowled. "Hey, don't look at me like that! What's her problem, anyway?"

From another table, Genma tipped his chair back, and grinned at all of them.

"Sharky, don't worry. I'm sure she was just hot and horny. I heard they hadn't had sex in a month."

"A month? Jeez! No wonder."

Genma smirked. "Yeah. Any normal chick would probably be frustrated about it."

"Any normal _person_ would be!"

"Hell, yeah. And—"

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, you have a stain on your lip. Here, let me get it for you..."

Sakura was really, _really_ trying to listen in on her two friends' conversation (and trying to glare at Genma while she was at it)...but really, was it her fault that she was getting a bit distracted?

On impulse, she looked up—just in time to see Sasuke take Karin's wrist, before the red-haired girl could put her hand on his mouth. Inner Sakura raged and lamented at the little contact, and it was all Sakura could do not to let her inner take over, and jump at Karin and _tear her face to pieces and_ _throw her off the cliff and chop her up and_—

Okay, shutting up the inner now.

She tried to calm herself down, and concentrate back on the conversation, and—

His gaze flicked, once.

Towards her.

She felt her breath catch, her eyes unable to tear themselves away.

"Where?" he asked quietly, to his side.

"Down your bottom lip, and..." Karin trailed off, her eyes following his gaze. Red eyes narrowed. Quickly, she snatched her hand off, and pointedly huffed and looked in the other direction.

The two did not notice, because they were too busy looking at each other.

She watched, as his hand came up, to quietly flick his thumb over his bottom lip, and remove the stain.

She watched, as he kept on rubbing. Intimately.

She watched, as the stain remained.

"It's still there," she blurted out—then inwardly scolded herself for doing so.

He kept on looking.

"Where?" he murmured.

There was no doubt who the question was for now.

"I—below. Left side," she whispered.

A pause.

"Can you remove it...Sakura?"

Her own mouth went dry.

"I—you—"

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, this is my favorite song! Let's dance, I'm sure your little _girlfriend_ won't mind!"

And the moment was gone.

Hastily, Sakura averted her eyes, and stared at her drink (a tall glass of pineapple-mango juice) hard.

"No, Karin. I won't mind."

_After all, I'm not really his girlfriend._

"Go ahead."

Inner Sakura ranted on about pummeling a red-haired someone for sounding so rude and sarcastic.

Outer Sakura remained silent.

Confused.

"I don't dance," she heard him say. She pointedly ignored the conversation.

"But Sasuke-kun—"

"I don't dance."

"But _Sasuke-kun_—"

"Jeez, Sasuke, would you just let her dance with you, _please_? Her voice is damaging my eardrums!"

There was a loud, whiny feminine growl.

"Shut up, Sharkface!"

"At least it's better than having four freaking eyes!"

A frustrated cry. "Arghh!"

A lament. "Sasuke, save my ears!" Suigetsu moaned dramatically, banging his head on table. "Just dance with her already!"

A pause.

"I don't—"

"Oi, Forehead!"

"...hello, Ugly."

The conversation was interrupted (fortunately) by the arrival of two people—and very familiar ones at that.

"Pig," Sakura said, in relief—she was getting _really_ annoyed at the previous conversation. "Sai. Hey, guys."

"Hey, back. You look gorgeous. Let's dance!" Ino chirped.

Sakura blinked at the compliment, slowly smiling. Then, remembering Ino's suggestion, she shook her head lightly. "I don't think—"

She was stopped from continuing, however, when all of a sudden, Sai bent down, and put his mouth near her ear. Very, very closely.

Then he whispered.

"I really want to dance with Hanabi, Ugly. Perhaps you could teach me. Ino-chan says you have exceptional skills."

Sakura gaped for a moment, before blushing at the sweet compliment (they were certainly piling up within the first few minutes since the two arrived). She immediately brightened.

_Hanabi?_

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied, in a gentle tone.

To anyone else, the conversation would have sounded very different—not that Sakura would notice. She was too busy trying to succeed in the ignoring, and to avoid the intense gaze, and the memory of a certain man's mouth and hands and her beating heart—

"Sure, Sai!" she exclaimed, eagerly—or rather, eager to get herself rid of such traitorous thoughts. Without further ado, she instantly stood up, and grabbed Sai's hand. Then she proceeded to drag him off, without so much as a backward glance.

Because of that, she didn't notice the triumphant look on Ino's face—nor the shocked look on Suigetsu's, the mild interest on Juugo, and the annoyed expression on Karin's.

Most of all, she didn't notice the very unreadable stare of one silent Uchiha.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"_Oi, Teme! Why are you looking so bored and stuck-up there? Cheer up, this is a fun night! What are you looking at, anyway...oh, heeey! Sakura-chan's dancing with Sai! They look really good together, don't they? It's like a match made in heaven...wait a minute. Were you staring at _them_ this whole time??"_

_A pause._

_Then a wicked, wicked grin._

"_Oh, hell! Teme, you are _jealous!_ You are so, so jealous, and fuming, and—OWW! HEEEEY! THAT HURTS!!"_

_"...shut up, dobe."_

_"Jeez. Party-pooper."_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It said a lot about a man's length of patience when said man's girlfriend (or pretend, if it all came down to it) was out on the dance floor, dancing in the arms of a teammate that wasn't really a teammate to the man—and the man was doing nothing to prevent it from happening at all.

Sasuke watched, as Sakura taught Sai how to dance (the Uchiha didn't have hard hearing—his skills allowed him to hear enough about the whispered Hanabi-thing) properly with a girl.

He watched, as Sai comfortably put his hands around Sakura's waist, and swayed them in a fashion that was meant for lovers, or people who enjoyed each other in the most intimate of fashion.

He watched, as Sakura enjoyed, and leaned into Sai more, laughing and smiling the whole time.

"Jeez, teme, you're going to break that cup if you keep up with the looking."

Sasuke merely loosened his hold on the sake cup, and kept on watching. From the corner of his mind, he could hear Suigetsu snickering, and could see Karin pouting, and a certain dobe grinning. He ignored them all, slowly taking another sip of sake.

When the music changed tempo (after what seemed like forever), he watched as Sai finally let her go, and went away with a blank smile on his face. Sakura kept on grinning, as Ino pulled her towards the center of the crowd, and continued dancing. The blond swayed her hips to the fast music, and, after a few seconds, Sakura followed suit, swaying her own hips playfully. When Ino went further into the crowd, Sakura stayed behind, closing her eyes, putting her arms in the air, and smiling like a woman that held the many mysteries of life.

She danced, her light green dress dancing with her, as her legs shifted, and her body moved as gracefully as a feather in motion with the wind. She danced, so sensual and light, so vibrant and alive.

And he watched.

Wanting nothing more than to run his hands on those white, soft shoulders, and dance with her.

To take those thin straps down, and follow the trail with his mouth.

To peel her dress slowly, and kiss every inch of her that was revealed.

...to be with her.

Just to be with her.

"Sasuke-kun, where are you going??"

He wasn't aware that he had stood up, and that everyone in the table's attention was now on him. Not glancing at them, he kept on standing, and watching, knowing that, in one way or another, one of them was eventually going to figure out the answer.

He walked away.

And as he did, he heard one certain blond dobe declare said answer, in a loud and triumphant voice.

"Four-eyes, he's going dancing. With his girl."

So much for subtlety.

"I AM NOT FOUR-EYES!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The moment the music changed tempo once more, Sakura stopped dancing, and started opening her eyes. She was still feeling exhilarated, liberated into a world where only senses ruled, and thinking was long forgotten—that was how it was with dancing, especially dancing with passion. Still a bit dazed, she blinked her eyes a couple of times, rendering them clear. When they did finally clear, she glanced around—and began to realize that another sensual, yet more upbeat song was now playing.

If she was deaf, it would not have been pretty obvious, considering how Shikamaru and Ino were swaying just a few feet in front of her, arms around each other, oblivious to anyone else—as if it was a slow song in their ears. It was such a tender moment. Other couples, seeing the scene, began doing the same, swaying not in time with the music, but with what their hearts seemed to dictate. Only a few hardcore dancers remained alone, dancing to their own fast tune, without a care to what was up with everyone, as long as the music kept on playing, and enticing them.

She would have liked to say she felt the same, but she didn't. With a sigh, Sakura turned around, prepared to go back to her table—or maybe just to go home, and call this a night.

But where was home now?

Her apartment...or—

Abruptly, she was pulled out of her thoughts, as, just when she turned around and was about to walk away, a blur appeared. Then, arms were suddenly wrapped around her, pulling her in. She felt hands on her waist, and a familiar warmth near. Breathing near her ear, and a body swaying lightly, it was almost not swaying at all.

It only took that touch, that contact, for her to realize who it was, even before she looked, even before he spoke.

"Sakura."

Onyx eyes met green.

"Sasuke—"

And suddenly, before she could even finish her sentence, or her thoughts, his mouth was on hers, just like before—all-empowering, all-consuming. Exhilarating.

And so, so good.

She tried to anchor herself, and stop the onslaught of emotions from coming—the excitement, the fear, the steadily growing tingles and heat that started from her lips, to her belly, and down to somewhere in between her legs.

He held her close, and swayed them both, in a rhythm that was unknown to anybody but themselves.

And he kept on kissing her.

When the need for air took over, she pulled her lips away, her hands on his shoulders, gripping, to steady herself. She felt his mouth move to her ear, lightly blowing, before moving to her jaws, to lightly nip.

Her heart sped up.

Her insides squirmed in pleasure.

Her mind went blank.

"I—Sasuke—"

"Hn."

Yep. His favorite word.

She tried to think through the wonderful haze.

"...your fangirls aren't—around."

A pause.

"I know."

His voice was so, so sensual.

His hands trailed down, going from her waist to her hips.

His mouth moved wonderfully, deliciously lower.

Her brain nearly fizzled.

"I—You—"

She was, most embarrassingly, losing all possible coherent speech.

"Let's go home."

Home.

_Home._

"You're just horny," she blurted out.

He paused.

"What?"

She blushed, when she realized what she had just said. But her mouth seemed to have a mind of its own.

"You're just horny," she repeated, quickly. "That's why you want me. You want this."

Silence.

Slowly, his face and mouth moved away (she instantly missed it, and stubbornly told herself that she _didn't_), so he could look at her.

"I'm not horny," he stated. Bluntly.

She froze.

Slowly, her eyes narrowed.

Inner Sakura sobbed, moaning about why they couldn't even get him worked up properly.

Outer Sakura grew tense, and slightly offended, and began indignantly pushing him away.

"Well, if that's the case," she huffed primly, humiliated beyond belief now, "then I don't think we should be wasting our time with this. Go get yourself horny with some other chick and—"

Her tirade ended up in a gasp, when abruptly, he pulled her again, into him, rendering their bodies flush.

Her eyes widened, and instantly snapped up to his.

He responded by shifting, so that his arousal pressed even closer to her own heat.

Her vision clouded.

"You—you lied," she whispered, in between breaths that were growing heated.

"Yeah," he whispered back, before going to kiss her jaw once more.

"Liar," she accused, softly. Dizzily.

"Yeah."

"So you're just horny, and—"

His teeth lightly grazed her skin, almost possessively.

She let out a soft, soft moan.

"Not just horny."

His mouth feathered over hers.

"I—you—"

"Sakura."

She gripped his hair, and ran her hands on his own skin, when his tongue came out to taste.

"Y—yeah?" she rasped.

A pause.

Then...

"You talk too much."

She blinked, and tried to clear her mind.

Which was proving to be very difficult at the moment.

"What do you feel?" he asked, one hand going to her neck, to caress. It trailed up, slowly, thumb going to her bottom lip. Rubbing it.

They still swayed, to the now-hazy music.

_So much. Too much._

"Everything," she said, her breath hitching.

"Good."

"W-what?"

"Don't ever think this is just lust, Sakura."

And then, before she could protest, or react, or gather her thoughts again, he was kissing her once more—hungrily, rousingly, intimately. And murmuring words, sweet nothings, in between the kisses.

"Sakura."

_Sasuke._

"Sakura."

_Sasuke.  
_

"I want you."

A pause.

"I want you now."

And that was where the difference lay.

Slowly, her heart stopped.

Slowly, she pulled away.

"I need some air," she managed, abruptly.

He made a move to stop her.

"Please," she whispered. "Just—a while. Give me a moment."

Then, before he could prevent her, she was out of his arms, and out of the dance floor, moving for the door, for the outside. Without further ado, she pushed it open, and went out, needing some air, needing some sanity for a moment.

Needing to _think._

He may want her, yes, she couldn't be sure. But one thing was clear.

She was in love with him.

...and he just wanted.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He watched silently, as she ran away, and went for the front door, her eyes in panic and her skirt swirling with the movement.

He watched, equally silent, as a familiar silver-haired man went for the same door, almost as if following—though said man's eyes were pretty much focused (as usual) on the orange book in his hands.

Assured that she was going to be alright, at least for a while, Sasuke inwardly sighed. Then he, too, left the dance floor, and went straight for the bar, ordering a strong shot of drink the moment he sat down. When it was placed in front of him, he immediately took it, and swallowed in one gulp.

He could still feel her.

He could still feel _everything_ about her.

It was maddening, to say the least. But he had already accepted that Sakura would always be maddening, and difficult, and stubborn to the core. That she would be complicated, and would probably drive him to annoyance most of the time.

That she would make him want, and need, in such an intensity that he'd never experienced before—and it wasn't rage, or the thirst of revenge this time.

_...then what was it?_

He brooded into his drink, and tried not to think.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun, why so lonely? Did your girlfriend leave you all by yourself?"

Recognizing the voice, he chose not to reply, and instead opted to continually brood. He felt her stand beside him, very close.

Her lips went near his ear.

"You know...we could always leave and go to my place. I could show you...things that your girlfriend will never, ever be able to."

A hand went to his shoulder, trailing down.

"We'll pleasure each other, Sasuke-kun."

Her tongue licked.

"Just like we always did," she rasped, proceeding to kiss him.

Abruptly, before she could go on any further, he looked at her and took her wrist, in a firm grip. He pulled her away, without so much as a word. Violet eyes flashed slightly, before being banked down.

She slowly smirked.

"But then again, maybe she _is_ pleasuring you. Never would've thought it. After all...it's just pretend, isn't it?"

A pause.

He flicked his eyes back to his drink, and kept on ignoring.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Saori."

"Ah...then maybe I should go ask her."

For the first time that night, his eyes flashed with something dangerous. It was a dark kind of dangerous—one that, to his sick disgust, seemed to excite and arouse her further.

"Stay away from her," he warned.

She merely laughed.

"I'm not going to kill her, Sasuke-kun. Don't worry. I don't think she's as annoying as your other bitch."

"You're annoying."

She smiled.

"Yes. Annoying. Yet you came to me, anyway, to satisfy your...needs."

"It's over."

She sighed.

"Well, if you say so...for now. You've got someone to vent your needs on, after all. Use her much, Sasuke-kun? The poor girl."

A pause.

"But then again, why poor? After all...she's using you, too. For her bet with that blond bitch."

As if by coincidence, Tenten went up to their side, supported by none other than Juugo—she was obviously more drunk now, and getting tipsier by the second. It would have been a welcome distraction, really—until Sasuke saw Saori's eyes light up, in calculated malice. Her smile widen, in calculated sweetness.

"So, Tenten-san," she said, softly. "You think Sakura's going to win the bet against Ino? In making dear Sasuke-kun fall for her?"

Tenten, dazed, brightened slightly.

"Of c-course," she slurred, proudly. She hiccupped. "It's in the bag!"

Then, without further ado, she fainted, and snored. Loudly.

Juugo froze.

Saori smirked.

...and Sasuke became numb.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The night air, it seemed, was doing wonders to her system. After a moment, Sakura felt herself calming down, her heart going back to normal, her thoughts coming back and not getting blanked by too many sensations, too many emotions.

The moon was bright. And the night, it seemed, was young.

"Yes. Not necessarily the kind of night for us old people, but we get by."

She hadn't realized she had spoken her thoughts out loud, until the joke of a familiar voice penetrated through. Sighing, Sakura looked up, giving the silver-haired man a blatant stare of amusement.

"You're not old, sensei," she said.

He sighed. "And _that's_ why you still call me sensei, then?"

She rolled her eyes, and tried not to grin. "You're not old, _Kakashi_."

His eye crinkled. Slowly, he put his cursed book down, and gave her an amused smile (at least, she thought it was an amused smile—it was always just speculation, what's with that darn mask of his always getting in the way).

"Ah, that's better," he mused, lightly. After a moment, she quietly patted down the space beside her—she was sitting on a little stone edge by the wall, one that looked like a decoration (or a wrong architecture). Silently, Kakashi sat, his attention going back to his little smut.

"Kakashi?"

"Hm?"

"...why are you here?"

A pause.

"Because of the get-together."

Sakura rolled her eyes again. "I meant here _outside._"

"Oh." He shrugged. "I just thought the night was young."

She scoffed. "Kakashi, you're hopeless."

His eye crinkled again. "Yes. But you're not."

Silence.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" she asked, curiously. He seemed to be paying more interest to his book now, which, if she didn't know him that well, would have irked her already. But Kakashi was Kakashi—so she waited, and let the silence and the night engulf them both, in companionable tranquility.

After a moment, he stood up.

"Well, I better go in," he mused, sighing.

"And get piss-drunk, right?" she teased.

"Sure."

She waved her hand at him, and proceeded to stare at the moon.

"Sakura?"

Curious that he was still there, she turned her gaze back to him. "Yeah?"

His one eye gazed, lightly. "It's best to be honest. In most things."

She became all the more curious. "Right...this coming from the one person who hides too much?"

Silence.

"Yes. This coming from that exact person," he said. Then he was gone, back inside the club, leaving her to herself and her thoughts once more. Silently, she found herself staring at the bright moon again—no trace of the rain earlier, or the dark clouds that hung and waited.

Her mind cleared.

Her heart tugged.

...her resolve strengthened.

He was right. It was time to be honest.

Slowly, Sakura stood up, her determination up, her mind made up. She had only two things planned for the night now. First, to tell Ino that the bet was off, and that she could no longer pretend when it came to things that mattered the most.

And second, to finally go home.

With the man, whether she knew it at that time or not, she had given her heart to since she was no more than a mere twelve-year-old girl.

_Six years now, Sakura._

_Don't let it go._

Her heartbeat speeding up at the thought, she fled inside, eager to get it done, excited and nervous beyond belief...and happy. Happy, in the sense that it felt like she was going to burst, and going to explode, if she didn't let it out, let out her feelings, once and for all. She scanned the place, and smiled at the sight of Naruto and Hinata dancing to a slow song on the dance floor, hearts practically all over their eyes. She frowned, not seeing Ino—nor Shikamaru—at all. Looking around further, she was frustrated to find that her blond best friend had indeed vanished, only minutes after she saw her dancing.

But it wasn't what puzzled her the most—no, not after realizing something else.

Sasuke was gone.

...and so was Karin.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_**a/n: **Before you kill me, let me assure you...no intimacy will happen between Sasuke and Karin! Um...unless Sasuke decides to do something stupid? Heh. Possible, though I don't think I could bear writing about that (at least, not in this fic), considering the manga is already depressing enough - I don't _need_ to add more injuries, do I?_

_Anyway, how did Saori know about the bet? Let's just say she has her ways - after all, she is a Hyuuga._

_I did all this in my cellphone, a few sentences a day before going to sleep, because I only had time to check my e-mails in the computer (and barely enough time for that, even). School is _killing _me. Gah. I hope this chapter's fine, and acceptable enough. Next chapter is day nine - finally! (though it's not the end yet)_

_So, um...review? :)_


	16. Explode

**Day Nine**

**Explode**

"_Sasuke-kun! Where are you going?"_

_He did not stop when he heard his name, and when he heard who it was calling him._

"_Sasuke-kun!" The voice grew louder. "Wait up! Where are you going, really?"_

"_Go away, Karin."_

_Her calling stopped—but her footsteps he could still hear, approaching him softly, hurriedly. When she finally managed to catch up, she turned her face to him, looking worried and a bit happy at the same time._

"_You know," she teased, batting her lashes flirtatiously at him, "You still owe me one sensual dance after leaving just like that. And isn't this the best time now? So romantic...you know, dancing under the moonlight and stars and—"_

"_I said go away, Karin."_

_She stopped speaking, and threw him a hurt and pouty look. He ignored this, and kept on walking._

_Determinedly, Karin placed a hand on his arm. He stiffened, but didn't take her hand away._

"_What did that stupid Hyuuga bitch do?" she asked, firmly._

_A pause._

"_Hn."_

"_Your girlfriend should take better care of you," she stated, her voice taking on a tone of distaste at the mention of the word. "It's obvious she doesn't love you."_

_Silence._

_Taking that as a hint, Karin put her other hand on his shoulder, and started soothing. Rubbing._

_He didn't take her second hand away._

"_Let's get a drink at some other bar. Come on, it will help you relax," she suggested, her voice soft._

_Silence._

_Then he nodded his head, and continued walking._

"_Hn."_

_Her red eyes softened, and her heart sped up with excitement at the thought that maybe tonight...Uchiha Sasuke would see her._

_Her, not someone else._

_She ignored the little conscience she had, of a bright-eyed, pink-haired rival in the graveyard, with her heart in her sleeve and love blooming in her green eyes—even though it was obvious Sakura hadn't realized it yet, at that moment. But Karin had._

_And Karin wanted to be selfish, for once in her life._

_Resolutely, she left her thoughts, and went to follow Sasuke._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was already past midnight, and it was safe to say that she still hasn't found him. She was growing worried, and she was growing mad—not to mention very, very confused.

Why would he leave just like that?

It didn't make any sense. And it didn't make any sense that Suigetsu would look a bit mad himself (she was pretty sure it wasn't at her), and Juugo would suddenly be too quiet and uncomfortable in her presence, and Saori...well, it made sense for the woman to be smirking—she always was (though it didn't make sense that she was even at the bar to begin with).

But there was something about the smirk that was off—though Sakura didn't exactly have time to contemplate about it anymore.

She had to find him. To find him, and to tell him.

She couldn't live with lies anymore.

It was past midnight—and she'd been to every possible place there was in Konoha, from his apartment to the ninja academy to the training grounds...the bars.

It was at one of the bars that she finally got her first information.

"You mean the Uchiha?" the bartender said to a girl (a fangirl, it looked like) who was looking all donned up and ready to seduce.

From where she was sitting subtly in a corner, pink hair covered, Sakura tried to remain silent, and not give said girl the glare she _so_ wanted to give.

"But I was told he was here," the girl whined, folding her arms petulantly. "And without his stupid girlfriend around!"

The bartender chuckled good-naturedly. "Well, not anymore. That red-haired chick mentioned something about taking him home—I believe he's had too much to drink."

Home.

_Home._

Suddenly realization sank in—and Sakura couldn't believe how stupid she'd been for _not_ thinking of that place. She should have thought of it sooner.

Karin had.

..._but why would you leave, Sasuke?_

Still confused, Sakura silently left the bar, and went for her last destination.

It was time to find out.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Hey, Naruto, have you seen Forehead?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I haven't—"

Before Naruto could continue his sentence, another voice suddenly piped in.

"Yamanaka! Where the hell have you been?!"

The blond female stared, and raised an eyebrow at Suigetsu's voice—and at the way the white-haired guy was stalking towards her, with a purposeful and determined and very annoyed look on his rather thin features.

In an instant, Shikamaru was shielding her protectively, all the while looking at him with something akin to half-threat, half-laziness in his expression.

Suigetsu merely glared.

"What do you want?" Shikamaru intoned calmly.

At this, Ino threw the so-called genius an irritated look, and subtly shoved him aside—because _seriously_, she could handle her own troubles. Not that she even knew what the trouble was...but obviously, Suigetsu did.

From behind him, Juugo came quietly, almost as if not wanting to be a disturbance. Impatient at the tension in the air now, Ino placed her hands on her hips, and kept on raising an eyebrow.

"Well, what do you want?" she repeated bluntly. It wasn't like he really talked to her or anything, under normal circumstances.

"This is all your fault!" Suigetsu snarled.

Ino blinked. "What is my fault?"

"What is her fault?" Naruto piped up, giving out a puzzled look.

"You're a liar!" Suigetsu continued, and kept on glaring.

Ino bristled. "Now just wait a damn minute, you punk—"

"You're both liars!" Suigetsu shouted. His last words slurred, giving the others an idea that he was indeed drunk—and was about to go on a rage at any minute now. Still quietly, Juugo took ahold of his arm, and tried to stir him away. Suigetsu snarled, and snatched his hand away. "No, do not drag me away! I have every right to speak my mind because I am now a citizen of Konoha and—"

"Citizen my ass!" Ino yelled back. "That doesn't mean you can act like a jerk—"

"At least I'm not a liar—"

"You're a stupid man who—"

"She was trying to find Sasuke-san."

The last, unexpected voice stopped both loudmouths (blond and white-haired alike) in their tirade, as they stared at the person who had spoken.

Sai stared back, a blank beam on his face.

"Jeez, they're like magnets that couldn't take themselves off each other," Naruto commented, rather triumphantly. "Neh, Sai...where is that teme going, anyway? Why is Sakura-chan following him?"

Sai beamed wider. "He is going to sleep with Karin."

Shocked silence.

Then all of a sudden, the statement had almost everyone reacting pretty strongly.

"HEY!! DID HE SAY THAT?!" Naruto yelled, eyes wide and suddenly glaring. "IS HE SCREWING BEHIND MY SAKURA-CHAN?"

"I read it in a book," Sai said. "It's supposedly called betrayal and vengeance and—"

"That stupid bitch!" Ino shrieked, fists in the air. "I will shave off her hair and pull out all her teeth!"

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, thoroughly confused now.

"NO! FOUR-EYES!" Ino shouted.

"You will not!" Suigetsu retaliated. "I won't let you!"

From her little corner, where Juugo had put her, Tenten continued snoring, a dreamy smile on her face. Lee, however, couldn't resist piping up.

"THE BLOSSOM OF YOUTH WILL CONTINUE TO FLOURISH IN A BEAUTIFUL—"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Suigetsu screamed.

"Don't tell him to shut up!" Ino screamed back—Shikamaru was now trying to hold on to her.

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

Naruto scratched his head, and started whining. "Guys, will you all shut up?! I don't even know why you guys are fighting!"

"Oh, I know why _I'm_ fighting!" Ino scoffed. "Why for the love of Kami would Sasuke-kun even consider sleeping with her, if he's got my best friend with him??"

"You figure it out yourself!" Suigetsu hissed. Then he giggled, and grinned drunkenly. "I bet Four-eyes is gonna be sooo hap-peee..."

Then he promptly toppled to the floor—and snored louder than Tenten ever had.

From her spot above, Ino scowled, and turned her attention to the only sane one in the area (other than Shikamaru, of course). "_What_ the hell is going on?"

Juugo merely picked Suigetsu up with the ease of someone carrying a feather.

Then he nodded his head solemnly, and walked off—but not without uttering the words that made Ino's ranting freeze.

"He knows about the bet."

Ino turned very, very pale.

"Oh, _shit!_"

Then without further ado, she was dashing off the bar, and out of the door, boyfriend (a _very _puzzled Shikamaru muttering about everything being troublesome) in tow.

Juugo left the bar as well, dragging Suigetsu, Tenten, and a very hyper Lee with him.

Sai remained eerily happy.

And Naruto remained very, very clueless.

"NEH...WHAT BET? I DON'T UNDERSTAND! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?"

With a sigh, Hinata (who had been watching from her own little corner silently) went up, took Naruto's hand, and began explaining everything patiently to him.

This was going to be a long, long night.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"_Sasuke-kun...where are we going?"_

_Silence._

_Then the very drunken Uchiha replied, in the barest of whispers._

"_In my bed. In my home."_

_He began touching her._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sakura arrived at the compound at exactly two in the morning—mostly because she had a place she needed to go to first, before coming here.

And maybe she just wanted to control her temper first.

Watching the little boy's grave had not been easy—especially knowing that there was nothing she could do for that little boy and his parents. So she had simply stood there, and brought flowers, and touched the tombstone lightly with her hands, kissing it in care—a simple goodbye, to people she didn't know, but felt that should go into her memories, and make her see that life was precious.

She failed them, and they had been buried today—but life was precious. And it was time to move on.

With her mind at peace, and her heart ready, she had finally come to her destination—only to discover that someone was already there, anticipating her arrival.

Without further ado, Karin, who was sitting at the steps of one of the abandoned main houses, quickly stood up at the sight of her, and stalked over.

"You stupid, stupid, pinky bitch."

Before Sakura could retaliate, she was suddenly slapped hard. She hadn't expected it, so it was no surprise that she wasn't able to dodge—just as it was no surprise that she nearly fell down, considering the force the red-haired girl had put into it. Green eyes widened, as the sting of the slap seeped through.

Then widened green eyes immediately narrowed.

"What the hell was that for?!" Sakura snarled, fisting her hands angrily, and refusing to touch her throbbing cheek. It seemed that they would always have this face-off at this place—it was almost like a freaking ritual, one that she had no desire to continue.

Karin sneered, and it was all Sakura could do not to punch her into the next century.

"That's for being a bitch," Karin stated.

Control. She had to control.

_Control, my ass! Kick her already!_

"It's not like you aren't, too," Sakura muttered in irritation.

"At least I have my boundaries," Karin retaliated.

_What boundaries? You were all over my boyfriend as if you could get away with—_

"At least I never pretended to play with him, just for a stupid bet."

The last sentence had inner Sakura vanishing—and outer Sakura going very, very cold.

_No._

"W-what?"

_It couldn't be._

Karin remained silent, and instead opted for looking at her—just looking at her, with nothing more than contempt and disgust twisted into her expression.

Sakura looked back, her face going pale out of its own accord. Suddenly, somehow, her irritation was vanishing—and so was the anger, and so were the emotions except for the shame, and the worry...and the guilt.

It was the guilt that had her facing Karin, and doing so with quiet remorse on her face.

"Karin, it's—"

"So it's true, isn't it?" Karin interrupted, placing her hands on her hips. She sneered. "Because you certainly aren't denying it—and it's not like Sasuke-kun would lie to me."

_How did he find out?_

"Karin, I didn't mean—"

"You don't deserve him."

Silence.

"You know that, Pinky, don't you? You _know _that."

Sakura fisted her hands.

"I didn't mean it," she blurted out. "I'm sorry. I—"

"You're only sorry you got caught!"

Green eyes flared. "That's not true! You don't know anything!"

"I know I never hurt him! I don't plan to!"

"I never planned to either—it's not—"

Karin waved a hand, and smiled. "It doesn't matter now—because he's over you. Che, he's not even mad. He was having too much fun kissing me."

_What?_

Something inside Sakura froze at the last words. It was like something pricking, sending sharp little stings in her system.

"And touching me," Karin murmured, eyes glazing over. "He's got the best hands and the best mouth in the world, doesn't he? It's...wonderful."

Like a mantra over Sakura's head, the words kept on repeating.

_Yeah. He's wonderful._

So it was that easy for him.

That simple.

"He took me to bed, you know," Karin continued.

Sakura stared, and tried very hard not to let her hands shake, or her voice tremble.

"I bet you loved that, huh?" Sakura murmured, blinking away something that seemed to be appearing over her eyelids. Realizing what they were, she blinked harder, faster.

One fell, anyway.

"Yeah," Karin murmured back.

Another fell. Angry at herself, Sakura viciously wiped them away, and took a step backward. Her chest was tightening, so, so badly. She couldn't breathe. "Okay. Best of luck with him—"

"You do love him."

Sakura had to get away. She couldn't stand it anymore. "I—"

_I do._

_So much._

"—have to go."

And she turned around. Footsteps quick, and light, and heart aching so much.

Karin's next words put her to a halt, however.

"I didn't go to bed with him."

The words had been said bitterly.

"You know why?"

Silence.

"See for yourself."

And then before she knew it, Sakura was bumped, and shoved aside—then Karin was stalking off, out of the area, out of the compound...out into the night.

It might have been Sakura's imagination, but she thought she heard a tiny sob escape.

But when did Karin ever cry?

_Only here. Only in this place._

It must have been really just her imagination, because Karin was strong. Karin was strong, and was loyal, and loved with so much intensity—

_Stop._

—and so much passion—

_Please, stop._

—that eventually...it wasn't impossible for someone like Sasuke to love her back.

..._stop._

Maybe he already did.

Silence. As if in a trance, Sakura started to move.

Her footsteps took her inside the main house, where everything was dusty and dark and so, so silent—it was as if even the ghosts of the past didn't want to be around here. She passed the living room, passed the kitchen—where everything looked eerie, and unused, and just the sight of them brought chills up her spine, and had her walking faster.

She passed the main bedroom—and her heart ached at what she knew had gone on there, all those years ago, that made the happy little boy become the cold, unemotional man that he was today.

An unemotional man who could make her love, and ache, and want...and make someone else feel the same, too.

She touched the door, for a moment, and closed her eyes, before moving on. Moving away.

Sakura found Sasuke in what she assumed was his own room—equally dusty, equally cold. Navy blue, and dark. He was sleeping in bed, naked, with only sheets covering his lower half. He was lying facedown, his arms splayed carelessly at his sides, and his head plunged headfirst into an old, probably dusty pillow.

It only took her a moment to understand that he had been drunk, and that Karin had somehow flushed that out of his system. Now, he was sleeping, and sleeping deep.

_And he had kissed her._

_He had touched her._

Karin.

They had probably stopped because he was too wasted to continue.

Her heart stirred at the thought.

Cracked.

Ruthlessly, she held on, and mentally stitched it all back.

It had no room to fall apart.

Tired all a sudden, Sakura finally walked the last few steps, until she reached the place beside his bed. She sank down on the floor, and put her knees up, and closed her eyes, leaning on the side of the bed as she did so.

She could feel him, could still feel still everything about him, like a lullaby that never failed to bring her comfort.

She could hear his soft breaths.

She could smell his scent, one that was all...Sasuke.

Her heart ached.

Slowly, she let the hurt come, and consume her. But she didn't let the tears come, because they were useless, because she didn't deserve to cry.

Because in a way, this was inevitable.

She should never have hoped for something more—because it wasn't her right to begin with. With a soft, soft sigh, Sakura kept her eyes closed, and tried to sleep and forget.

Tomorrow, when she woke up, it was time to end it all, and make the right decision. For everybody's sake, especially her own.

_Because loving him is not something you are meant to do, huh?_

It was time to get out of his life.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"_Heeeeyyy! It's my f—favorite r—redhead!"_

"_Go away, Sharkfreak."_

_A hiccup. "But F—four-eyes! I—I w—want to be w—with you! M—mi amooorrrr!"_

"_Go away."_

_A tired yawn. "Oooo—kaaayyy..."_

_And once again, Suigetsu toppled into a dead sleep, drooling and snoring over Juugo's shoulder._

_The tall, large man quietly stared at Karin, and eased the sleeping weight more comfortably on his shoulder._

_A pause._

"_Are you okay?" he asked. Though he knew the answer wouldn't be a yes._

_Silence._

_Then Karin, whose eyes had been defiant, whose chin had been up, and whose stance had been determined and angry and ready for absolutely anything...finally slumped. She let the hurt come, and the tears come, and the shaking come._

"_I don't know," she mumbled, in a voice more tired than ever._

_And because Juugo was Juugo, he didn't judge. He merely nodded his head, and gently took her arm, leading both his friends (one drunken, and one numb and hurting) into the streets of what was now their home, and what he hoped would always remain so._

_They all needed to heal tonight._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Waking up to something unfamiliar had not always been the best feeling for him—especially when his body was throbbing from weariness, and his head felt like it had just been dipped in a bucket of ice-cold water.

He tried to remember the events that had led him to feeling this way, but somehow the memories seemed jagged—almost like pieces of a puzzle that wouldn't fit, no matter how much he wanted to put them back together. He remembered the dance bar, where he and his friends had gathered—he drank there, but not enough to make him drunk. In fact, the most he did, other than brood in that place, was stare at a certain someone, dance with a certain someone, kiss a certain someone, and—

She left.

...what was next, then?

It wasn't very clear, and his thoughts were still muddled, and then—

"_After all...she's using you, too. For her bet with that blond bitch."_

—like a flash of bright, bursting light...it all came back.

Saori. Sakura.

Sake.

...Karin.

He didn't remember much—but he certainly remembered enough to make his head clear all of a sudden.

He had kissed her, and had touched her.

And he had brought her to his home...his bed.

...and in the end, he had stopped—because it wasn't her he wanted. It would never be her.

Sasuke froze, his heart going cold at once. He remembered now.

He remembered everything.

Belatedly, he heard a sigh beside him, and felt a certain warmth. Sasuke froze again, and turned his head to the side, knowing that he would find something that he had never intended to happen to begin with—a girl in his arms, with red hair and red eyes and—

He froze—for the third time since he had woken up.

It wasn't red hair. It was pink.

...and it was buried right on his naked chest.

Sasuke stared, at the sleeping figure in his arms. The girl (_woman_), the only one who had been able to instill so many emotions in him that he didn't think it was possible to breathe straight anymore. He'd never felt before.

Now, he felt too much.

What was she doing here?

Why was she here?

...why did she hold on to him as if she belonged in his arms?

She didn't. She'd proved that already, hadn't she?

She'd betrayed him. Had lied to him.

Like Itachi. Dammit, like Itachi.

Angry all of a sudden, Sasuke made a move to disentangle—only to realize that she was cuddling to him like a little girl to her teddy bear, and that their legs were intertwined. One of his arms was wrapped around her, and one of her palms was lying flat on his chest, where his heart was.

She was warm.

She was warm, and she felt good. Unbelievably good, that all he could suddenly think of was how he wanted to touch that soft hair, and wake her up to see her eyes flutter open and fill his senses with her brilliant green gaze—

"_You think Sakura's going to win the bet against Ino?"_

—and her addictive smile—

"_In making dear Sasuke-kun fall for her?"_

—and that soft, familiar voice that always, always made him want to hear her all the time.

His warming heart went cold once more. In an instant, Sasuke shut down all emotions, all thoughts, and everything, before deciding to the one thing that he knew was the right decision, was the right thing to do.

He gently, coldly pushed her away, and covered her, and stared.

She had won. And it was the last day.

It was time to end it all.

She was waking up. Slowly, Sakura's eyes fluttered open, and her fingers smoothed over the cloth—as if trying to find warmth in the sheets that had suddenly gone cold. Her blurry, sleepy green eyes locked on his, and for a moment, Sasuke could not move as he felt himself drowning, desiring, wanting.

Then her eyes cleared—and realization came all too quickly, as she instantly sat up, and instantly reddened, and instantly stumbled out of the bed, gripping the blankets and then letting it go to grip at somewhere near her own heart instead.

She stumbled over her words.

"I—I didn't know how I got in your bed, but it wasn't my purpose—it was Kari—"

She stopped, and her eyes flickered, and she gripped the place near her heart tighter.

Then she looked down, and tried to move away.

"I'm sorry, I should go," she whispered, without so much as a quiver in her voice.

His eyes flashed dangerously.

"Where are you going?"

Her eyes flew up, to stare at him in confusion. It was as if she had just noticed he was naked—instantly, her gaze fixed itself to somewhere near his shoulder (a habit that she seemed to have when she didn't want to look at him), her cheeks going bright, bright red.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I didn't—mean for it all to go like that. I—I was just supposed to sleep with you and break up, not fa—"

She abruptly turned pale, and went for the door.

"Never mind. I'll be out of your life. Have—have fun with Karin."

The last words were said almost bitterly, and too softly.

"I'm sure you did last night."

Silence.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he intoned, quietly.

Suddenly, her eyes sparked in anger. He could see it, could see it so clearly—

"You know what it means!"

—but not enough to mask the hurt.

"I know you want her, so stop pretending!"

Her eyes reflected the hurt she could never, ever say.

"So I'm sorry, I'm sorry for what I did. It won't happen again. I'll leave you now—"

Unable to help himself, he stepped closer.

"—so you can do whatever the hell you want. You won't have to see me—"

He couldn't move away.

"—because I don't want to see you again. I don't."

He thought he heard her breath hitch, her heart beat faster. But maybe that was just his imagination—or maybe that was just his own heart.

He didn't care.

Sasuke took the last step forward, trapping her in front of him. Because she was too preoccupied with her ranting, and with trying to not look at him, she didn't get to see his movements—until it was too late, and they were both tumbling on the bed, with her back on it, and him against her. She would have struggled, but was probably too stunned to do anything at the moment, except feel him, really feel him and see him.

"I—no—Sasuke—"

Her breath was hitching—there was no mistaking it now. Her eyes were desperate, of something he couldn't understand, but wanted to, so badly. Too much.

To take them away.

To take all her hurt away.

Maybe he was damning himself—but it was too late to back out now.

"Sakura."

Onyx eyes met green.

"...Sasuke-kun...?"

Her voice. Her wonderful, wonderful voice.

Those eyes.

"Only you. Dammit," he said, "Only you."

Slowly, possessively, he took her hands in his, took her mouth in his, and molded their bodies together. Unable to control himself any longer, he took, and gave, and took once more.

He kissed her. Touched her.

Made her drown in his overwhelming need, so they would both stop breathing with it.

Slowly, ever so slowly...she began kissing him back. Began touching him.

Began calling out his name.

His heart burst in a thousand torrents of incredible need. His mind blurred.

It was sensations from then on. From slow, to quick, he began undressing her, began touching and caressing in the most intimate of places. A hand on her smooth stomach, a mouth on her stiffened nipple. She cried out his name, and pulled him closer, and he felt dizzy with the taste and the scent. _Sakura._ She was everything he has ever wanted, everything he has ever needed. Everything.

_Sakura._

When he lowered himself to touch her there, and taste her there on her wet core, her cries became louder, and he couldn't help but feel that this was absolute heaven, that this was where he belonged. She gripped his hair, and moved to her own sensual beat, as he tasted, and plunged, and let himself have his fill.

_Sakura._

Her hands were like fire on his skin. Her mouth was like liquid lava on his own.

When he buried himself inside her, and waited for the pain on her face to vanish, he watched, and watched, and watched, until eventually, pain became pleasure, and movement became a fast rhythm that stoked the fire higher, brought the need to a quivering, trembling mass of incomprehensible pleasure that he never, ever wanted to stop.

In the middle of it all, they switched positions—her now on top, him sitting below her. Their breaths mixed, a dance of lovely, lovely sense and sound.

"Sakura," he rasped, kissing her neck, her jaw, her mouth. Cupping her breast, claiming it. "Ride me."

And she did, her green eyes bewitching him as they stared at each other and tasted each other and let the passion consume them.

She exploded for him, gripping him as if she could never, ever let go.

As if she didn't want to.

Maybe this was a means to an end for her, and maybe tonight, after this, he was going to have to let her go—because that was what she wanted, and he suddenly knew that whatever Sakura wanted, he couldn't seem to deny her anymore.

But right now, Sasuke didn't care.

He was with the only girl that has made him feel, and made him hurt and ache and fall. Made him love.

Closing his eyes, and holding on, he exploded with her—all the while hoping that somehow, this last moment would be enough.

_Sakura._

It had to be enough.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_**a/n**: To begin with, I've been to the hospital coz of overfatigue, and I've been too busy with schoolwork and just trying to get through. You know how school is, right? Heh. It's killer. And I REALLY, REALLY MISS WRITING!_

_Anyway, this is looong overdue...and I think it's about time I finished it. Sorry for the delay, and I do thank you for your patience, and your reviews, and your simple support. They all bring a smile to my face, and despite everything, that just makes me **happy**. So, thanks. Thanks thanks thanks!_

_This is day nine...and I think I have around two more chapters to go before I end this story (**not sure**). Pardon me if Sakura and Karin are a bit unpredictable here...you have to understand, love makes you do crazy things, right? Heh. So this is one crazy chapter, I guess._

_Happy reading, and review if you can. :)_


	17. Goodbye Plans

**Day Nine**

**Goodbye Plans**

Ino was furious. She was furious beyond hell, and people who knew her well knew that at this state, she wasn't one to be messed with.

She was furious because her night of fun had been ruined by a disturbing—_horrifying, mind-boggling, unacceptable_—news that she just couldn't ignore.

She was furious because it was Shikamaru's first night back from his mission, and she didn't get to make sweet, sweet—_wild—_love with her lover (and now she was horny as hell, and frustrated because of it).

She was furious because Sakura (and the Uchiha, for that matter) was still nowhere to be found, and that had her worried—and if there was one thing she hated more than anything in the world, it was worrying.

And not having sex.

And cheating bastards.

And not getting even with a lying, good-for-nothing, red-eyed devil in disguise—one she was ready to claw the face of with her long, pointed nails and her teeth and—

"Oi, Ino. Slow down, would you? This is troublesome."

Snarling, Ino momentarily stopped in her tracks, hands on her hips and turning to give her man—the lazy one with so many complaints in life—a warning glare.

"Hurry up," she growled. "You're the one being troublesome."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, and merely put his hands in his pockets—and yawned. Not knowing exactly how to handle that, Ino merely glared again, and turned back to walk in the direction she'd been going earlier.

Before she could, she froze, and stared at the sight in front of her. Her blue eyes narrowed.

Then, in a move that would have rendered any unsuspecting civilian speechless, she stealthily turned back around and began to drag her still-yawning companion behind a large tree filled with bushy undergrowth, ignoring his soft protest.

"Mask your chakra."

"Ino, what—"

"I said mask your chakra_._"

When she felt him do so, she proceeded to mask hers as well.

Then she began glaring at the red-haired kunoichi standing just a few meters away.

Suigetsu was being loud as usual, Juugo quiet as always—and Karin...well, she couldn't really _see_ from where she was, considering it was dark and all, but she'd bet that stupid girl had nothing on but a smirk on her face, and the ethereal glow that only after-sex could bring, and...

Her heated glare faltered. Ino stared.

Was the girl...crying?

She was. There were silent tears tracking down her cheeks that she didn't bother to wipe away, fogging her glasses slightly. Ino's hands suddenly clenched. What right did she have to cry? She lied, cheated, stolen Sakura's man, hurt Sakura, and it looked like—

"I don't know," Karin whispered, in a voice more tired than ever.

—and it looked like she was the one hurting.

Four-eyes herself.

Slowly, Ino took in the sight of the slumped shoulders, the shaking hands. The heartbroken face.

Slowly, her own shoulders slumped, her fisted hands unclenching. She watched, as Juugo carried the now-unconscious Suigetsu, and gently guided Karin into the opposite street.

The moment they disappeared, Ino sighed, the anger and the hate for one certain girl leaving her tired herself.

How could she hate someone that defeated, someone that...sad?

It just wasn't right.

Glancing at her side, about to ask what her companion thought of it all, her eyebrows rose, and her eyes softened at yet another sight. Shikamaru was slumped against the tree...and sleeping peacefully. She momentarily forgot that he had just gotten back from a mission, and was probably dead to the world right now.

Her mouth quirked, before she uttered another sigh—a longer one this time.

"What the hell am I going to do with you?"

Answering her own question, she kissed him on the mouth, softly. He stirred, but didn't wake.

"I love you, you know," she murmured.

She kissed him again, on the cheek this time.

"And if you ever so much as flirt with another girl, I will cut off your balls and stick them down your throat," she whispered.

He still didn't stir.

Ino kissed him one last time, before sidling closer and bringing his body closer to hers—then hefting said body to her shoulder, with the use of chakra.

"Looks like I'm gonna have to pull a Juugo," she muttered.

Two things to do, then.

First, she'd take him home.

Then it was time to bring her righteous wrath to one certain Uchiha.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

It was eight in the morning by the time Ino had finished most of her tasks: tucking Shikamaru in bed, and taking a short shower—the latter being a last-minute decision, considering how sticky she was from all the dancing and searching the night before.

She was now onto her new task—and suddenly, she knew where to go this time.

At least, she hoped she was right.

She marched straight into the Uchiha compound—the one place left she hadn't remembered to search at—not bothering to look at her surrounding anymore (though she did stop and stare a bit at the mess of the grounds everywhere, and wondered what had happened to render such chaos). Her mind was focused on one simple goal now—and one house.

But first, she was going to have to _find_ that house.

Eyes glinting in determination, she kept on marching, hoping to get a sign of any life or chakra before—

She stopped short, when she saw a door slide open—and none other than her target himself come out.

Well. Surprise, surprise.

She didn't just march now. She _stalked. _And her mouth opened, prepared to yell out in the loudest pitch she could.

"You—"

"YOU TEME! YOU ROTTEN BASTARD! I WILL KILL YOU AND MAKE YOU EAT YOUR OWN BLOOD! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO MY SAKURA-CHAN?!"

Ino stared, dumbfounded, as Naruto cut in front of her (_where_ did he come from?), glaring and waving his fisted hands in the air wildly.

Sasuke looked at him impassively, not moving at all.

"Dobe, be quiet."

Naruto glared some more. "BE QUIET?! BE QUIET?! YOU—I AM NOT A DOBE!"

Ino, tired of all the yelling (and to think _she_ hadn't even yelled yet), cut Naruto an irritated glance, before shoving him aside and stepping right in front of Sasuke. She eyed him up and down, her gaze critical and observant. Searching.

Then she glared.

"You had sex with Forehead," she accused.

"WHAT?!" Naruto cut in, stepping in front of Ino. "AFTER KARIN-CHAN?! WHAT THE HELL?! THAT WASN'T PART OF THE PLAN! YOU BASTARD! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU—OWW! INO-CHAN! STOP PINCHING MY EAR!"

"What plan?" Ino demanded, firmly holding on to his ear.

"THE PLAN TO MAKE THE FANGIRLS GO AWAY!"

Ino froze.

She had _forgotten _about that.

Hell, no.

Naruto's eyes widened, at his little slip.

Sasuke sighed.

"Dobe, Yamanaka, it would be best if you—"

Instantly, before Sasuke could finish his sentence, Ino was on him—teeth baring and eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.

"Shut up," she snarled. "Shut up before I kill you."

Naruto stared at her, and tried to laugh nervously. "Ahaha, Ino-chan, you don't need to kill him, you know—"

Ino whirled on him, and snarled again.

Naruto promptly shut up.

Satisfied, Ino finally turned back to the dark-haired Uchiha, letting the furious waves radiate from her. She placed her hands on her hips, to ensure that they wouldn't do anything drastic—like strangle him to death.

She leveled her gaze on him, and finally asked the question she'd been wanting to ask since yesterday.

"Did you sleep with Four-eyes?" she asked, coolly.

"...no."

She didn't have to ask if he slept with Sakura, because _that_ was already pretty obvious.

"Did you use her for some stupid pretend?"

Just to confirm, of course. Just to confirm.

"Hn."

"I'm not Sakura," she snapped. "Say yes or no, because I might interpret that differently."

A pause.

"...yes," he said, calmly.

Her eyes flared.

"Are you still using her now?"

"No."

It was the fastest answer she got from him.

Ino's fury lessened a bit, though she was still pretty angry. But her hands had dropped from her hips, and she wasn't glaring anymore.

"Are you in love with her?"

Silence.

Then...

"That's none of your business."

It was good enough—she tried to tell herself that.

At least he didn't say no.

One more question.

"Where is she?"

Silence.

With a quiet breath, Sasuke finally turned around, obviously tired of the questions already. He began walking back to the door.

"Sleeping. Now go away."

Ino glared at his back defiantly. Then she sighed, and turned around—then turned back again, much to the bewilderment of the blond beside her.

"Just don't hurt her too much," she warned, softly this time. "Or I might cut a certain part of your anatomy, so you could never use it again."

Naruto paled.

Sasuke paused, but didn't look at her.

Satisfied, Ino nodded her head. Then, without further ado, she turned around again, and stalked off—this time, clamping a hand on Naruto's wrist, and dragging him with her.

"HEY! INO-CHAN! I—"

"Be quiet," Ino growled.

"BUT—"

"We're going."

"BUT I HAVEN'T PUNCHED HIM—"

"You don't need to. He got the message."

"HOW DO YOU KNOW?"

Amused now, Ino let go of Naruto's wrist, her brow quirking as he scratched his head in confusion. Her blue eyes strayed to the house once more—the porch was empty now, the door closed. Sighing inwardly (and trying not to worry), she turned back to the matter at hand.

"Because I'm a woman," she declared confidently.

"SO?"

"Women know these things, Naruto."

"HOW?"

"We just do."

"HOW?"

Losing all amusement now, Ino threw her hands up in the air. Naruto took a cautious step back. "How the hell does Hinata put up with you? And for Kami's sake—stop backing off! I'm not going to cut your balls off, if that's what you're afraid of."

He took a cautious step forward.

"Unless you hurt Hinata in any way, of course," she warned dangerously.

He cringed. Then he put a fist firmly to his heart.

"I WILL NEVER HURT HINATA-CHAN FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE! I LOVE HER!"

Ino raised a brow again. "Really, now? And did you tell her that?"

To her surprise, Naruto turned a brilliant shade of red. Then he started stammering.

"I—well, no—it's—I don't know how—"

Ino grinned, a wicked gleam coming back into her eyes. Smirking now, she took hold of the other's wrist again, and proceeded to drag him off once more.

"Okay, then. Let's fix that, dear boy."

"I'M NOT A BOY! I'M A MAN!"

"Whatever. Now shut up and let's go."

Hinata was in for the surprise of her life.

Ino only hoped she didn't faint this time.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The moment the two blonds' chakras vanished from his sensing radar, Sasuke turned away from the closed door, and faced the empty living room. There was no Ino or Naruto in his mind right now, no remorse or guilt for what he had done.

No going back from what had happened.

He told himself it was all for the best—them knowing, him doing this...Sakura.

She was leaving. In a few minutes, he knew that when she woke up, the first thing out of her mouth would not be about last night, would not be about anything related to their lovemaking—it would be about her leaving, about this pretend ending.

Because that was it for her. Pretend. She'd gotten what she wanted to win her bet.

Somehow, no matter how he tried to rationalize it, he couldn't get mad at her anymore.

Last night was their last moment. Today, this morning, it was time to be adults, and face the facts, and talk not of nonsense but of how they should part and get on with their lives and—

"Sasuke."

Sasuke looked up, at the sound of the unexpected voice.

Sakura hovered near the living room door, the one leading to the bedrooms. She was wearing last night's dress, now all crumpled. Her feet were bare. Her eyes were wide. Her mouth was dark pink, and swollen.

Flashes of last night, of exactly what they had done to each other—how she called out his name in that throaty, needy voice of hers, how she had touched him—came back to him.

His body reacted at once.

In compensation, he glared at her.

This was going to be a slightly difficult talk—not that he couldn't control himself. Of course he could.

Piece of cake.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Sakura stared at his facial expression uncertainly, wondering why the heck he had shifted from staring to glaring at her. Had she done something wrong? Had he not forgiven her yet for what she had done, for the bet?

Had last night not meant anything to him at all?

Suddenly it felt silly asking him where her panties and bra were—and damn uncomfortable. It wasn't her fault that she couldn't find them, considering how groggy and tired and aching she was, and in desperate need of coffee and—

_Another round with him._ _Oh, yeah. Let him touch us in the places that ache again, and put his mouth—_

Her green eyes flew to the ceiling, as a warm flush entered her cheeks. She ached, alright—and every ache was accompanied with memories and details that made her stomach churn, her heart beat faster.

He didn't sleep with Karin—of that she was certain now.

He made love with her as if she were the only one who mattered. Touched her in the most intimate of places that no one else had ever dared touch.

He—

"There's coffee in the kitchen. It should be ready by now."

—sounded gruff and unemotional and...cold.

Her eyes flew back to him in confusion, but he was already turning around, headed for the kitchen. Her feet automatically followed, despite her mind's protests.

Before she could open her mouth, he unceremoniously slid a mug in front of her, and took one for himself. He drank quietly, his eyes on the coffeemaker.

She opened her mouth now. Closed it.

Opened it again.

"I—Sasuke? It's—"

_Last night was wonderful. Amazing. The best night of my life._

"Sasuke, last—"

"It's time to part ways now."

Her words dissolved in her throat, as she stared at him in surprise.

He didn't stare back, but merely kept on sipping his coffee calmly.

"I—what?"

He shrugged. "We both got what we wanted. We both won."

Won. The bet. The plan.

"I'm not mad at you, if that's what you think."

"You're not mad..." she murmured slowly, trying to process the words.

"It's over now."

She kept on staring.

"You know the way out. Goodbye."

Her heart dropped to the ground.

"Does that mean...you don't need me anymore?" she whispered.

Silence.

She remembered how passionate he was last night, how gentle. How hungry.

"Hn."

It was all a lie.

Suddenly, her heart went back to her chest, and beat wildly. But not in sadness. Not in hurt. Her eyes flared.

Sasuke made a move of walking out of the kitchen.

Furiously, Sakura—yes, her temper now up and her grogginess vanishing completely—stepped in his way.

"You wanted me," she declared.

His onyx eyes now came back to her. He frowned.

"I wanted a woman," he finally replied.

Her eyes flashed. "You wanted _me,_" she emphasized, her hand gripping hard on her untouched mug. "Not anybody else."

His eyes now flickered in slight annoyance. "Are you always this full of yourself?"

"Are you always this much of a liar?"

His eyes flashed dangerously. He stepped closer. "Don't push me, Sakura."

She stepped closer as well, challenging him. Ready to unleash her temper fully, and give him a good, dignified yelling before she walked out of his life completely—he had used her, the bastard. He had used her last night for sex, before he ended things.

_She _was supposed to be the one who ended things.

In the process of her stepping closer, she hadn't realized that she had already stepped too close—her chest bumping his own. She hadn't realized that his warmth would automatically kick in, his scent assaulting her senses in a daze, her body reacting to it. Her nipples stiffened, and a pleasant jolt zinged down her system, weakening her knees, heating up her belly, making the part between her legs wet and throbbing and—

She froze.

He froze, his eyes pinning hers. Flicking to her mouth.

Then in horror, she immediately backed away, and tried to control her hitching breath, and her reaction. Kami, her heart.

It was so hollow. So full. Contradicting.

What was wrong with her?

When was she going to get it in her head that she meant nothing to him?

"Fine," she said, in as much calm as she could. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way—" Her voice quivered, and she ruthlessly tried to steady it. "I'll go now, goodbye, Sasuke, you—"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, because the next instant, she was suddenly flush against him, her back on something hard, his mouth...his mouth on hers. Hot, hard, demanding.

Her coffee mug fell down on the floor, breaking into tiny little pieces. Coffee spilled all over.

They ignored it. He kept on kissing her, and she tried to push him away.

"I—Sasuke—don't—"

Silently, he hoisted her up the counter—was that where they were?—and slid in between her thighs. His palms moved to her neck, to her hair.

His tongue came out to taste.

She began to grip him closer.

When was this going to end?

Why was he doing this to her?

...why couldn't she let him go?

His one hand moved down to touch her clothed breast, his other hand sliding her light green straps down. His mouth followed.

"This—is—just—sex," she whispered, in between kisses.

"If you say so," he said, his voice raspy.

He bared her breasts, and put his mouth on one. His tongue went down to caress one nipple, until it hardened to the point of madness. Until she writhed again and again, biting her lips so she wouldn't call out his name. She was more rational now, she knew this was just sex, nothing else, nothing more, just one final romp—

His hand glided under her skirt.

In alarm, she pushed him away again—but he took her with him. They crashed to the other side of the kitchen, his back on the wall now.

She was planning to stop. She really was.

Until she felt him, hot and hard and pressing on her stomach. Beyond instinct, beyond care, her hand went down. And she touched him.

His breath came out in unsteady, harsh rhythms. His eyes flashed. Darkened.

"Sakura—stop—"

She moved her hand—but not away. Instead, she kept rubbing him, until he hardened all the more, growing huge and pulsing like life itself—

Before she knew it, he was carrying her for the living room, and lowering her on the rug.

Words filled her mind that she tried to vanquish away. But she couldn't.

_I love you. I love you so much._

This was just sex. Sex. Sex and lust and nothing more, nothing else.

His shirt came off, and so did his pants. He was naked underneath, his muscles gleaming beautifully. His onyx eyes were intense, burning with need and heat, his mouth swollen and his hands inching her dress down, down. His other hand gripped her hip, poised to take. Her mouth went dry.

He was everything she'd ever wanted.

He was everything she could never have.

Unbidden, her eyes closed, and her mouth trembled.

Sex. Nothing more. Don't think of more. Don't...

"Sakura."

His hand on her hip gentled. A moment later, she felt fingertips on her cheek, on her eyes, wiping something away. She opened them, blinking as she realized her vision was blurry, with what could only be tears.

She blinked them some more, and the blur vanished—only to be replaced by his face inches from hers, his eyes watching.

He touched her lower lip, gently.

He palmed her cheek, caressingly.

She trembled again, and tried to pull away.

He held on.

"Sakura."

He lowered his head, and touched his mouth on hers. Slowly. Stirringly. Lovingly.

The tears flowed from her eyes again. He wiped them away, and kept on kissing her. His mouth worshipped, his hands adored.

"Sakura."

Slowly, he took her in a leisurely journey of sense and sound, of touch and emotion. Her heart swelled, as what was fast became achingly slow, as what was desperate became achingly savoring, achingly sweet. As her love for him grew, in ways that she had never imagined it would.

She loved him too much that it hurt now.

She had to stop.

"Sasuke, I can't—"

He silenced her with one last, hungry kiss.

Then he slipped inside her, and filled her in a way that left her mind blank, left her heart beating a thousand times faster than ever. She stared at him, as he stared at her. In silence.

Then he spoke.

"I need you," he said, softly.

She trembled once more.

"I need you, Sakura," he rasped.

Her mouth parted.

But before she could speak, he kissed her again. Touched her. Then he moved, and took her to the places she had been to last night, and more.

In the middle of it all, everything built up, from slow to fast. She sobbed out his name, and tried to cling to her control. To her sanity. He gripped her desperately, and moved, and made her forget. He made her feel again, in ways that she knew she would never, ever feel for any other man. Only him. Only Sasuke.

In the end, control snapped, and everything exploded—mind, heart, body.

In the end, there was nothing more she wanted than to stay in this moment, and hope that it would never go away.

But some things were never meant to be.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"_HINATA-CHAN! ARE YOU OKAY? WAKE UP! MEDIC! I NEED A MEDIC! INO-CHAN—"_

"_Oh, would you shut up, Naruto? She just fainted. It's your fault for saying it in such an unromantic setting, you idiot! Look, she's waking up now..."_

"_HINATA-CHAN! YOU'RE WAKING UP! THANK KAMI! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!"_

_Hinata paled. Flushed._

_This time, she didn't faint again._

"_I—I love you, too, Naruto-kun..."_

_From where she was standing near the Hyuuga compound, hands on her hips, Ino rolled her eyes in exasperation as the lovebirds kissed gently, and sweetly, and adoringly. They were on the grounds, Naruto kneeling on it, Hinata in his arms._

_The kiss went on for a few seconds._

_A minute._

_Two._

_Three—_

"_Um, guys?" Ino interrupted—not that she wanted to. But she had something to ask first._

_Hinata and Naruto jumped apart, one blushing deeply, the other looking sheepish and triumphant at once._

_Ino smirked. "You can continue after I leave, you know."_

"_Then leave," Naruto whined._

_Ino's eyes narrowed. Naruto shut up._

_Hinata blushed again, and sat up straighter. "Yes, Ino-chan? What was it?"_

_Silence._

_Then Ino grinned. And the gleam in her eyes was back._

"_Hinata?"  
_

"_Yes?"_

"_Do you happen to know which exact house here Hyuuga Saori lives in?"_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_**a/n: **Hi, guys. I miss you all. I did promise December, didn't I? So, here I am. This is not the last chapter, by the way. One or two more to go, I think. I'm leaning more on one chapter. Thank you for all the support, and for reading, and for reviewing. You guys are the best._

_Review if you can! I think I may have gotten rusty, coz I still have the writer's block, and it's killing my brain. Sigh. But I'll fight it. I hope I can. Heh. :)_


	18. The Not So Happy Ending

**Day Nine**

**The Not-So-Happy Ending**

Something wasn't right.

Sai knew that the moment he entered his dim, quiet apartment. Everything was in swirls, of course—which was a given, considering how Tenten and Lee had dragged him to every place they could, to celebrate youth and springtime and shurikens and...whatever else there was to celebrate. They'd been so adamant and persistent about it.

And with the celebration, came drink after drink after drink.

It wasn't a bad life—if only his head would stop spinning now.

Trying to get his thoughts in order, the pale-skinned shinobi struggled once more to remember why he felt something wasn't right. It couldn't be the lovely haze in his mind—according to some book he read (what was the title again?), this was another process of socializing: the drinking spree that so many ninjas savored, whenever a hard mission was successful and they got to live through another day. True, he hadn't exactly been on a mission lately—but he still lived through another day, didn't he? In his analysis, that was good enough to celebrate and learn more about people-interacting.

At least, that's what Naruto had said. Dickless had always been an honest person, so Sai had no problem trusting him.

It was just a shame that this socializing thing involved so much scattered thoughts and mind-swirling.

Resolutely, Sai hazily made his way into what he knew was his living room (he wasn't sure, because at the moment it was all just a big blur of black and white), and tried to look for the couch. Maybe he should put his head down for a while and close his eyes. Rest a bit. He really had enough for one day.

Human interacting was too much hard work sometimes.

There was a quiet rustle from the corner that even a drunken man in a stupor was bound to hear, no matter how short it was. On instinct, he took out his kunai, and aimed it in the direction of said sound.

_Thunk._

A pause.

"Hey. You missed."

Squinting his eyes, Sai looked in the direction of the voice, and found what could only be described as a small, pink blur.

He moved forward, and stumbled—ending up sitting aplop something soft and squishy. The squishy thing yelped, and pushed him, until he was sinking further into something even softer, and cold.

"Jeez, Sai. Are you blind?"

Ahh. That explains the pink blur.

"Hello, Ugly."

Silence.

Then there was a small, amused sigh.

"You're drunk."

Sai made a non-committal reply.

"What were you doing all night long?" she asked.

"Socializing," Sai said, slurring a bit over the words.

There was a laugh, as the blur moved closer. A moment later, Sai felt two warm things touching his forehead. He closed his eyes, and let himself fall to sleep. Then there was a bolt of chakra, and he opened his eyes once more. Everything was still kind of blurry, but he found that he wasn't dizzy anymore, and his head didn't feel like it was being pounded on with some really sharp nails.

Or dozens of Dickless screeching in the air.

"Thank you, Ugly."

"You're welcome, Sai. That was a sleeping chakra, you know."

"Okay."

"It will take effect in a few minutes."

"Okay."

Silence.

"What are you doing here?" he finally asked.

The pink blur moved yet again, closer to him. He thought he saw her smile disappear, and a sad frown come into her face, but he couldn't be too sure. Before he could comprehend what it really was, the blur (he was now a bit sober to realize it was her head) was suddenly on his lap, snuggling.

"I just don't want to be alone," she whispered.

That was odd.

"Alone? Is that the same to lonely?" he questioned. "You can never be. You have friends like Dickless and Beautiful and Teme by you all the time."

Silence.

He thought she wasn't going to answer, and his eyes grew heavy at the tranquility and peacefulness of everything.

"Naruto and Ino will just coddle me right now, and I'd hate that," she finally replied. "I don't want pity. Just...company."

Sai looked at her head for a moment, remembering something else a book had said—if someone was sad, it was a friend's duty to offer some comfort, by means of a shoulder to cry on, or an ear to lend. Since Sakura didn't seem to want his shoulder enough to move away from his lap, and since she didn't seem like she wanted to talk at the moment, he did the best thing he could.

He put one hand on her hair, and began stroking.

He thought he felt her relax under his hand, though her own hand had suddenly fisted on his knee.

"What book did this come from, Sai?" Sakura murmured.

A pause.

"How to deal with the female breed," he finally remembered.

She muffled her laugh on his knee, her shoulders shaking.

"I think I'm going to hate that chauvinist book at lot," she said.

Then the shaking kept on, and for a moment, Sai thought it wasn't from laughing anymore. No laughing could wet his pants like that—only the emotion called tears could. Why was she crying? Wasn't crying for people who were in pain?

"Are you in pain?" he asked in confusion.

There was no reply.

Because he had no more words, Sai finally decided to let her keep shaking and wetting his clothing. He kept on stroking her hair, as gently as he could.

And, as the sleeping chakra worked its magic and his eyes drooped, he thought of only one thing.

Maybe emotions weren't worth it most of the time.

No book he's ever read certainly prepared him for the twitch in his heart when he felt his friend's misery washing over him like a cold, cold blanket.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Unfortunately, when Ino visited the house Hyuuga Saori was supposed to be in, nobody was home.

Or maybe that was fortunate, considering how the blond kunoichi was already not in the best of moods—and a Yamanaka Ino not in the best of moods was like an Uzumaki Naruto in his everyday life: do first, think very, _very_ much later.

That would have been convenient, really—if the so-called enemy wasn't one talented, intelligent member of a prestigious clan.

Since this was practically a blessing in disguise (not that she would ever be willing to admit it), Ino chose to use the time to rethink her strategies. This led her to some very unusual places —Shikamaru's apartment being one. But the man was still sleeping, and she didn't exactly feel like waking him up with her very loud thought process. The cemetery was her other option—but she scratched that after a while, because really…her old sensei would probably end up rolling in his graveyard when he heard how her evil and manipulative mind worked.

That left a randomly nice, quiet bar.

With a resolute mind, Ino settled for the one nearest where she was—an old bar that many shinobi didn't really go to, considering how small and stale it was. Not that it mattered, really. She plopped herself on a stool, and told the bartender to give her the strongest sake they had. The bartender eyed her warily for a second (it probably didn't get sexily-clad females ordering such strong drinks in the morning), before hastily pouring her drink once her glare told him she was being serious.

Yeah, that's right. No more ditzy Ino this time. She was being _serious._

Because she was too preoccupied with thoughts of revenge and justice and…revenge (and wild, wild sex with Konoha's resident genius afterward), she didn't notice the stool a few spaces away being occupied, nor the mumble of the person for a hot, strong drink. She didn't even notice the bartender give said person the same look he had given Ino—and said person giving the bartender an even fiercer glare.

But she finally noticed when the bartender grumbled.

"Damn kunoichi. Unbelievable species."

And when the female near her barked out a very temperamental reply.

"Oh, shut up. I'm drinking my way to oblivion here—let me do it in peace!"

There was no mistaking who the voice belonged to.

Surprised, Ino subtly tilted her head. Sure enough, there on the nearby stool sat none other than Karin in last night's clothes—looking like a cross between a grouchy grizzly bear ready to bare its teeth and a millionaire who had just lost every penny he had.

It was leaning more towards the millionaire.

It didn't look like Karin noticed her. Normally, this would have irked the blond (seriously, who _didn't _notice her?), but at the moment she saw it as an opportunity to check the red-haired kunoichi out and observe her actions. Karin had already downed her first cup, and was already asking (_demanding_) the bartender for a second.

Third.

Fourth.

Fifth.

She looked so…glum. Reluctantly, Ino's anger and resentment towards the girl disappeared completely at the sight. It wasn't right for someone to look this defeated.

A lightbulb went on in her head. Ino rolled her eyes, ignoring the idea that came with it.

It persisted.

_Oh, fine._

With a sigh, she went off her stool and reluctantly stalked until she reached the area where Karin was sitting. She tapped her foot, one hand on her hip, getting impatient when she was still pointedly ignored.

She determinedly cleared her throat.

"Hey. You."

There was a pause, before Karin finally turned her head slightly to acknowledge the sound. It only lasted for a second, before she promptly turned back to her drink.

"Just leave me alone," she muttered. "I don't want to hear anyone defending Pinky right now. Especially someone that certain Pinky calls a _Pig._"

Blinking in surprise, Ino opened her mouth.

"I—"

"So what if you're her best friend and you think she and Sasuke-kun are made for each other and all that stupid crap?"

"What—"

"I get it. I _get _it, okay? It's over. Boo-hoo. I lost."

"I—"

"So stop shoving it down my face and making me feel—"

"Shut the hell up, would you, Four-eyes? I'm on your damn side!"

Silence.

The bartender pretended not to listen to the two (he wasn't doing a very good job at it)—then hastily averted his eyes when both blue and red eyes glared viciously at him.

Then they scowled at each other.

"I am _not _Four-eyes," Karin snapped, standing up.

"Do _not _call me a pig!" Ino growled, both hands now on her hips.

"Fine."

"Fine!"

The glares disappeared, replaced by wary stares now. Slowly, they both sat back on the stools, and turned to the bartender once more.

"Tea," Ino announced.

"Sake," Karin called out at the same time.

"Tea," Ino repeated with more conviction (in her case, this meant with as much volume as possible), daring the other to contradict her. Karin merely sulked, and waited for the bartender (who was now nervously stashing away whatever sake there was in sight) to bring them steaming cups.

There was a long, awkward silence.

After what seemed like hours (which were just a few minutes, really), the tea was finally served. Without further ado, Ino gulped down hers (without so much as a yelp when it practically scalded her tongue), while Karin took a small, reluctant sip.

More silence.

Then taking a deep breath, Ino turned to the other once more.

"I meant it," she intoned matter-of-factly. "I'm not gonna pick a fight with you."

The red-haired kunoichi still eyed her warily.

"As long as you don't interfere with Sakura and Sasuke anymore."

Silence.

Then Karin sighed, and took another sip of her tea.

"I know. I won't. Like I said—it's over."

Satisfied, Ino regarded the other more thoughtfully now.

"It's not the end of the world, you know," the blond said.

Karin ignored that, and kept on sipping her tea.

"There's still Suigetsu," Ino continued.

Karin promptly choked on her drink. She coughed so violently that Ino had to pound her on the back.

"Okay, okay," the blond retracted hastily, "Maybe not him. But there are lots of hot shinobi out there that could be good for you. Go have crazy, wild sex with them instead."

Recovered from the choking episode, Karin rolled her eyes. "Gee, that's awfully nice of you," she scoffed, sarcasm dripping. "Thanks for the suggestion."

"No problem!" Ino chirped brightly.

After that, they fell into another, less awkward silence. Karin wasn't so bad, when Ino thought about it. Just…misguided, maybe? The blond may not be like her best friend (who would probably end up being compassionate to a cockroach if the situation called for it), but she wasn't lacking in the compassion department, either—and at the moment, her so-called compassion called for her to do four very important things.

One: make sure Karin left the two frustrating lovebirds alone for good.

Two: find Karin a hot shinobi who will show her the wicked ways of sex and intimacy.

Three: stop thinking about sex too much before it affected her brain and made her jump Shikamaru before she had everything settled.

Four: team up with Karin for…an adventure.

"Hey…Fou—Karin?"

A pause, before the red-haired girl inclined her head.

"Hmm."

"This establishes that we're not enemies, right?"

Another pause.

"If you say so," Karin muttered.

"I do say so!" Ino declared confidently. "So you know who the enemy is, right?"

"Saku—"

Ino interrupted with a vicious growl.

"Kidding, kidding," Karin said. "Jeez. It's not Pink—er, Sakura."

Ino nodded approvingly. "That's good. Because you ought to realize there's really just one enemy in all of this. One who deserves punishment."

"Er…okay. If you say so," Karin replied, now looking bewildered.

Taking one last gulp of tea, the blond stood up, eyes gleaming mischievously.

"Hey…Karin?"

"Yeah, Pi—er, Ino?"

"How about you and I take a nice stroll into the Hyuuga compound and go give someone a…well-deserved visit?"

There was yet another pause as Karin's confusion deepened—then it vanished, as comprehension dawned, followed by surprise, then approval, then…excitement. Finally, the red-haired kunoichi gave out a real smile for the first time that day.

Or a feral grin, to be more precise.

Triumphantly, Ino grinned back.

It was time for their adventure to begin.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_An hour later, the Hokage of Konoha was found staring outside her office window in disbelief and deep, deep confusion._

"_Shizune?"_

"_Yes, Hokage-sama?"_

"_I don't get it."_

"…_get what?"_

"_Why is there another girl hanging upside down on the Hokage mountain on top of my…carved nose? Is this a protest against me or something?"_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Six months passed.

For any normal man who had just gotten his heart crushed, per se, the healing time would have been long over, and the recovery, while sometimes a slow process, would have been a welcome change.

For Uchiha Sasuke, there was no time of recovery—mostly because there really was nothing to recover from, nothing to be healed. He made a tiny mistake in his life, a tiny blip that didn't really matter, that he didn't really care about.

Or so he told himself.

Life went on. He, being a shinobi, knew that more than anyone.

It didn't matter that during his entire period of no-recovery and no-healing, there was something missing.

Or so Naruto often reminded him.

"Oh, man. I can't believe we're going back to Konoha! After all those months of stupid reconnaissance! It was a total waste of time!"

Speak of the devil.

Sasuke didn't bother pointing out that it was said reconnaissance that got them the valuable information their village wanted—an information that was necessary for the safety of the people and the Hokage herself. It wasn't like Naruto was going to listen, anyway—they would just end up getting into another one of their infamous arguments that he wasn't really in the mood for at the moment (not that he would ever admit that he actually was in the mood for them at times).

"I finally get to see my Hinata-chan again! I bet she's looking as beautiful as always—I just want to hug her and kiss her with all my might!"

Silence.

After a few seconds, Naruto finally stopped in the middle of their branch-leaping, halting right in front of the other. Unperturbed, Sasuke sidestepped.

Naruto merely blocked his path again.

"Teme, you know what you're in?"

"In annoyance. Let's just go home."

"You're in denial."

"Dobe, I said let's just—"

"You're furious and hurt because she left without a single word, and now you're trying to show that you don't care by shoving a stick up your ass again—the same one she removed when you were together."

"Do—"

"When will you grow up, teme?"

"Dobe, shut—"

"WHEN WILL YOU GROW UP, SASUKE?"

The first-name calling had him so surprised that Sasuke shut his mouth for a second—which Naruto, of course, took as an advantage to pummel on.

"You love her and she loves you—and don't you dare deny that you don't, because I see the way you refuse to be with other girls and dream of her nearly every night! You think I didn't know that? Hah! Why can't you both just accept it all and be together like you're supposed to be?"

Silence.

There was something wrong in that statement, in Sasuke's opinion.

He didn't bother trying to dodge or deny it.

"She doesn't love me," he intoned, voice calm.

"How the hell do you know that??"

"She left. It's that simple," he said curtly, in a tone that implied he didn't want to discuss it anymore.

But Naruto being Naruto, he persisted.

"True. And you didn't follow her."

There was a heavy pause. Then, with a sigh, the blond loudmouth broke it first, shaking his head and giving a small, sad smile.

"She tried to follow you when you left years ago, Sasuke. I think it's time to return the favor of _trying_."

And with that parting line, Naruto finally turned around and resumed his branch-leaping towards Konoha. Their home.

The silence went on for Sasuke, as he stood in place, and stared at the conspicuous clothing on his almost-brother's back.

Maybe he did make a mistake. A tiny blip, a tiny error. But it didn't matter, not at all, that his life was now back to routine, with something somewhat missing. That there was always this weird ache in his chest (something he always, _always _ignored), and that this always happened every time his thoughts strayed to green eyes, and tender hands, and a bright, bright smile of care, of passion. Of bewitching spirit, and fierce, loyal soul.

It didn't matter.

It _didn't._

…it did.

_Shut it. It's over._

At the rational voice inside his head, his heart closed once more, his emotions returning underneath their cold, cold mask.

There was no time for that now. It was all too late. It was.

…was it?

It was at this exact moment, when the questions surrounded him, that the rush of explosion happened, followed by Naruto's loud, horrified scream.

Sasuke's head snapped up.

And then all hell broke loose.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Sakura woke up in the middle of her sleep on the first night of her return to Konoha, it was to the sound of the door being knocked on—loud, insistent raps that she knew could only belong to one eager person.

Well, two, actually—but only one was in the village, after all.

Grumbling under her breath, Sakura reluctantly kicked off her covers, the cold air instantly chilling her skin. She'd forgotten that she was only in her tank top and shorts, too tired to get up from bed when the wind had kicked up around midnight. Eyes still closed, her feet automatically fell to the floor (which ensured another blast of chill), and she sleepily made her way downstairs, her mind torn between wanting to shut into dreamland or planning ways of punishing the loud, loud door-knocker.

Couldn't Ino have waited until at least morning before getting into one of her many incurable gossip modes?

The latest gossip was still fresh in her mind, after all—that Ino and Karin were now friends (who knew six months could do that?), and that Karin was dating Kiba, of all people.

It was surprising, but nice.

It didn't change the fact that it still reminded her of someone else—just as it didn't change the fact that she really shouldn't be thinking about the past right now.

She quickly diverted her mind away from that, somewhat expertly (at least, she tried to believe so)—six months had given her time to practice, and perfect. Still grumbling slightly, Sakura opened her eyes and crossed her apartment's living room, unceremoniously opening the front door. Then she opened her mouth and prepared to lecture.

"Pig, this is really not the time—"

"Sakura, hospital. Now."

Something in the tone made Sakura stand straighter, and stop. Stare.

And her mind shut off at once, at the implication of what Ino's panicked blue eyes were saying. Her instincts screamed at her, an inner blow.

"…Sasuke?" she whispered.

However much her mind went relieved at the shaking of the blond's head, her heart still fell at the next words uttered.

Broke.

"It's Naruto. He's dying."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Sasuke opened his eyes, it was to the vision of white ceilings that looked all-too-familiar to him—even in his confused and disoriented state, he immediately knew where he was, as he'd been here too many times already in the past.

It took him five more seconds to remember why he was here now.

Abruptly, he sat up at once, inwardly wincing at the pain slicing through his ribs and left shoulder—none of which showed on his face, of course. Beside him, he heard a pen fumble on paper.

"Uchiha-san," an unfamiliar voice exclaimed in surprise. "You're awake! This is wonderful and—Uchiha-san! Where are you going? Uchiha-san—you can't—Uchiha-san!"

The Uchiha ignored the frantic nurse, making his painful way out of the hospital room before said nurse could even so much as move from her perch beside the bed. His movements were swift and silent, albeit a bit stiff, as he made his way to the one place where one of his few important people was at the moment.

His fists clenched at the memory of the sudden, unexpected ambush. At their defeat, no matter how slow it had been.

At Naruto's fall.

He barely had enough strength to carry the blond shinobi home, as well as the information scroll, before consciousness had ceased entirely for him.

The moment he arrived to the floor where the operating room was, Sasuke leaned on a wall for a second, to compose himself. Then he pushed off it, prepared to assess the situation.

Refusing to even consider that the other was in a different room altogether. No.

Not the morgue, not for Naruto. _No. _

It was at that exact moment that the door to his destination opened.

And out came a head of soft pink, a body splashed in blood, one hand clutching the doorknob and the other at her side, trembling quietly. She stopped, seeing him immediately. Then she stared—green eyes meeting onyx for the first time in six months.

In that stare, Sasuke saw too much directed at him: surprise, relief, worry, hurt, uncertainty.

And love.

So much love, too much of it, that it almost staggered him, leaving his mouth dry, at the vulnerability reflected inside her, at the raw passion of what she felt. For him. All for him.

His heart came back to life, in one single, gut-wrenching blow.

It seemed she began to realize just how much she was revealing, for she backed up a step, trembling again—before her emotions shut off, and her trembling ceased altogether. Her eyes were only weary now, and nearly blank.

Sasuke asked the one question he needed to ask at the moment.

"Naruto?"

Her blank eyes faltered, the weariness seeping through. But she smiled—a reassuring, tired smile, nonetheless beautiful.

Beautiful.

"He's okay, Sasuke-kun…he's alive."

She smiled again.

Then, just as quickly as his heart came back to life at the sight of that smile, and beat in relief at the good news, it went cold once more, as Haruno Sakura's smile vanished completely, her eyes closing in exhaustion and her body toppling to the cold, hard tiles.

He wasn't fast enough to catch her.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

What should have been a very pleasant and peaceful return home from a long mission wasn't turning out the way Sakura had planned it. She had it all listed out, really: come back home, give everyone a reassuring smile, hold her head up high against gloating fangirls, get her butt back into training…and move on.

She never expected Naruto to nearly die in her arms, and cause her almost a life's worth of panic and grief.

…she never expected to wake up in Sasuke's arms.

It had taken her a while to realize that, actually. Slightly disoriented, Sakura blinked her eyes, blearily staring at the window in front of her, where the not-so-brilliant light indicated that it was around morning. Blinking her eyes further, she became aware that she was surrounded by warmth, and a certain presence.

She looked up.

And found herself staring at a sleeping Uchiha.

Later on, when her shocked mind finally began to realize that they were in the same position they had been in when she had cried herself to sleep in his arms in the past, she stiffened immediately, as the memories came back—in too much force, and too much intensity. Without further ado, she began pushing off him.

Or at least, tried to. She really did.

But suddenly his arms tightened around her, instinctively. It was a gesture almost blatantly possessive, but protective at the same time. His head moved, settling on the crook of her neck at the moment, as if it was meant there. Then it moved again, his mouth gently touching her hair—now it was her head on the crook of his neck.

He smelled the same.

And she found she couldn't resist.

Blindly, Sakura stared at the floor (she was now oriented enough to recognize it as the floor of his childhood room), her hands fisting on her lap. Of course she had to resist—not doing so was out of the question. Her heart ached, and nearly melted, when she felt his one hand caress her arm slightly, almost in affection.

With much effort, her resolution came back, and she straightened once more, uncurling her hands and lifting them in time with her head to—

She froze.

He was awake.

And he was looking quietly at her.

Surprised, she stared at him for a moment, green eyes locking into onyx for the second time since her return.

"Sakura."

"I—why am I here?"

"Hokage-sama asked you to be sent home. You fainted at the hospital."

It didn't really seem important to argue with him that he had mixed up her home with his—that wasn't the point here (or so she tried to tell herself).

"She asked you to do it? How could she, when she knows you're injured and—"

"I volunteered."

That shut her up again. But a nervous Sakura was a babbling Sakura. So she persisted—and also tried to resist being in his arms, by pushing off again. The action had her noticing that she wasn't in her blood-filled clothes anymore—she was now wearing a shirt. A blue shirt, to be precise—which, without even looking, she _knew _had his clan symbol at the back.

It was enough to make her slightly panic.

"Er—it's not really necessary. I need to get back to Naruto—"

"He's fine. He's stable."

"But I still need to check every once in a while—"

"The Hokage's doing it herself."

She couldn't help it. She kept on babbling.

"Okay, that's nice. I need to go and—talk to Ino. I haven't seen her since I left and I need to see through the bet—" At this point, she already regretted what she'd just said, but because his expression hadn't changed, she just went on. "It's not—I don't want to do it, but it needs to be over and done with. And I need to train, I haven't trained in months and I'm rusty and—"

This time, it was he who shut her up.

This time, she couldn't babble any longer, as shock filled her system when he put his mouth on hers.

It was a warm kiss, so much warmer than his embrace had been. His mouth moved, gentle and patient, inviting hers to partake in it. In the warmth. In the—

Her eyes widened, at what she felt there. It couldn't be. It _couldn't_. Despite herself, Sakura found herself responding, and kissing him back.

And in the split of a second, the kiss suddenly turned hungry. Hot. So hot, that she could feel the desperation in him—like he was thirsting for her, in ways unimaginable. His hands touched her skin in all the right places (heating them up to degrees that burned beyond pleasure), just as his mouth touched hers. Her belly hitched, her heart beat fast, as the sudden roaring in her head threatened to consume her, and swallow her whole.

Because she knew she was stronger than this now, she tried to stop kissing him and to resist once more. He must have sensed it, because he stopped kissing her on the mouth, and went to trail kisses on her cheek, her jaw, before settling on her neck, and burying his face there.

It took her a while to realize that her breath was coming out wild and unsteady, and she wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms for a long, long time.

Silence.

"I thought I lost you."

His statement, after such heated pause, had her frozen again.

"I thought you died when you fainted."

His grip on her tightened again, but she hardly noticed, as she heard him mumble once more into her skin.

"I wasn't fast enough."

And then he slumped, his weight completely on her.

...silence.

It didn't take her long to figure out that Uchiha Sasuke had passed out.

And it didn't take long for disappointment to set in when she realized that he had been delirious the whole time.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Waking up a second time to something warm on his belly was better than he thought it would be.

"Sasuke. Sasuke, wake up."

He opened his eyes, and found none other than Sakura staring at him, concern and care in her eyes. She was kneeling in front of him, one knee in between his slumped form, her hands faintly glowing. When she finally saw that he was awake, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

Then she smiled at him, so brilliantly, that he could only stare at her in silence.

"You're okay. Thank Kami you're okay. Your stomach was still injured. I didn't know what I would do if—"

She then stopped, as if remembering herself. Sakura's expression closed, her eyes becoming uncertain again, before she made a move to distance herself.

He didn't let her.

Without even thinking of what he was doing, Sasuke leaned forward, in his sitting position, putting his hands on her arms and pulling her towards him. Her body slid naturally, almost as if it was waiting for such action. He put his mouth on hers, and let the kiss linger, grow.

She responded, and simply, oh-so-simply melted in his arms.

It shouldn't have tasted so sweet. Not when it was fast, and frantic, and bordering on madness that he couldn't quite control. Her hands came up to fist in his chest, slowly opening, palms resting. Said palms slid up to his shoulders, as if trying to steady herself. Her response was slow, but steady—inciting a deep lust in him, but with the lust, something else. Still not giving it a thought (because really, he couldn't even _think _anymore, with the way she was moving against him), he nipped her lower lip, his tongue tasting every bit there was to taste of her.

So sweet. All of her tasted so sweet.

It was enough to drive him crazy.

When a sound emitted from her throat, and when she pressed herself closer to his heat, it was all he could do not to take her, right then and there without thought to consequences. He didn't want it that way—not anymore. Slowly, with all the willpower left in him, he nipped her lip one more time, eliciting another soft moan.

Then he stopped kissing her altogether.

There was silence, as they breathed each other for a moment—an intimacy that was never there before, because both of them had never given enough time for such a simple act.

Sakura lifted her head, staring at him with dazed eyes. Something flickered in them, before they disappeared, and she steadied herself. She disentangled from him, and backed away, standing up as she did so.

He'd expected that, somewhat.

What he didn't expect was what she did next.

She fled.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_Her resistance still full, still intact, Sakura ran away, intending to forget everything, to move forward and not let him affect her anymore. He wanted her, that much was obvious._

_She needed more than that._

_So she fled, and let her footsteps take her away._

_She ended up stopping in the middle of the Uchiha compound. Staring._

_And what she saw melted all resistance there was._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He ended up stopping on the porch of his house, and looking at the sight that was in front of him. There she was, staring at the grave of his parents, which were now filled with flowers and green grass—after six months, he had finally gotten the will to move out of his apartment, and see to his real home. To finally have the courage to step into it.

It had been worth it.

A long step, and a painful one—but it had been worth it.

There were only a few things Sasuke wanted in life, he knew that now. Redemption for his family had been one, long, long ago. Peace of mind, too, after that was over. Naruto's respect—though this, he would never admit, no matter what—was yet another.

And one woman. The woman standing in the middle of his home right now, staring at his family's graveyard with something akin to sadness and wonder in her eyes. And love. Again, just like before, so much love that he could feel it from this far away. It was so real, so solid.

"Sakura."

She turned her head to his, that love extending.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, wistfully.

It took all of his willpower not to jump at the jolt in his stomach, and to say that no, she was the beautiful one. He wasn't a poet—he would never be, he knew that.

"I should really go," she said. Quietly now.

And then he was moving forward, until he stood right in front of her.

"I have a proposition."

Silence.

"I'll heal you later again if it's that—"

"I need you to get rid of the fangirls. Again."

Something flickered in her green eyes once more, before she steadied it, and looked at him determinedly. The fire in her eyes started, an energy that brought spark, brought more life to it.

It took him a moment to realize that they were filled with a low, quiet sort of fury.

"No," she said, almost defiantly.

"Sakur—"

"I said no," she snapped. A finger poked his chest, harshly. His face didn't show how her brutal strength made it itch. "I am _not_ going to play that game anymore. I thought you've learned how pointless it all is by now."

"It's not pointless."

She wasn't listening to him. The fury had built in her eyes now, as she stepped closer and faced him head on.

"That's because you get to have lots of sex! And what do I get?"

He couldn't help his blunt reply. Not really.

"Me."

An answer which had her gaping in disbelief at him, before furiously turning on him again.

"Oh, right. You think you're everything. You think I'm in love with you or something. How many days do you even have in mind? Another nine or eight days to satisfy your sexual cravings? To fulfill your sexual fantasies? To make the fangirls act all jealous and—"

"I was thinking 50 years."

"—and stupid and vengeful and—what?"

Her mouth opened, closed. Then opened again—though no sound came out.

"Or longer, if you like," he said, voice steady.

Silence.

Her mouth closed once more. Opened.

"I—if you think that joke is going to sweep me off my feet—" she managed, before he cut her off, with the call of her name.

"Sakura."

"—I mean, I get that there could be fangirls listening right now, which is why you probably pulled this stunt, but I'm not playing anymore—"

"Sakura."

"—I don't want this—I don't want games—not anymore—" Her breath hitched. The anger vanished, as the hurt came in her eyes, before she ruthlessly banked that away. She was good at that now, he noticed. But he already saw it—and unable to help himself (because whether he denied it or not, he was already always so receptive when it came to her), he pulled her to him.

"Shut up, Sakura."

And for the third time that day, he kissed her once more, with the hunger and the thirst he had been feeling for a long, long time. Six months now.

Or maybe it was longer, and he was just too stupid to realize it before.

Imagine that. Uchiha Sasuke, stupid. It was ironic, really.

At least he learned his lesson now.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The tenderness in his kiss left her staggered, and unable to move.

What was more, the feelings in his kiss had her finally realizing that no, he hadn't been joking.

And he was slowly, ever so slowly heating her up.

His lips moved away from her mouth for a moment, to touch her eyelids—first the left, lingering, before it shifted to the right. She became aware that her eyelids were moist, though she refused to believe that came from crying. Stubbornly (and slightly dazed again), Sakura pulled away a bit and wiped her eyes, making sure they were dry and steady.

Then she gave him a very determined stare.

"You have to be my friend," she said. "It can't be all about sex."

"Hn."

"It can't, Sasuke. Seriously."

There was something to be said about an Uchiha who looked serious for one second—and was suddenly smirking the next. It was his typical smirk—dark, lazy, mysterious.

And sexy. So sexy, that she had to take a tiny step back (really, _really _subtly) before she actually ended up jumping him (inner Sakura was already screaming at her to do so). She cleared her throat.

He stalked closer.

"_Seriously_. We need to set boundaries. You can't be an asshole all the time. And—and don't expect me to bow to your every mood, because I won't. It's not right and I have feelings too and—and—_would you please not come any closer?_"

He didn't listen to her, of course. Instead, because of all the little steps of her backing away and him coming closer, she suddenly found her back on something rough, and what could only be the bark of a tree. Then his warmth was in front of her—but he wasn't staring at her now.

He was looking at the tree, his hands fisting.

It didn't take her long to figure out that he was remembering what he had done to her months ago, when he had thought she had destroyed his one reminder of his long-gone loved ones. Her heart stopped, as he touched her neck, as gently as he could. Then he made a move to back away—almost as if afraid of hurting her again.

The gesture was so blunt, so righteous. So unreadable.

And so, so Sasuke.

Her heart stumbled.

This time, it was her who pulled him closer, framing his face in her hands, willing him to look at her now. He did. There was a pause, before she smiled sadly, and let her hands drop.

"This is a mess," she murmured. "I might not have babies and be the perfect housewife and I know that's what you want—"

"I don't care."

"But it's what you want—"

"I want you."

She stopped, and looked at him. He was looking at her patiently again, his hands settling on her waist.

"Not just now, Sakura."

Her heart fell.

They were a mess, really. Individually, they were. Together…she couldn't even comprehend how much. She had her issues, and he definitely had hers. It wasn't the smartest choice, being with him like this, when she should have just moved on, and let him pick the most likely candidate for his future, to bear his new clan.

But maybe it was time to stop overanalyzing things. Maybe it was time to be with him.

"Okay. Okay," she said softly. "We'll make it work."

"Hn."

Then she could only say a few more things as he picked her up, and let her legs settle on his waist, and let her arms wrap around his, just as his were around hers as he led her back into his house.

His home.

"Sasuke?"

A pause.

"I love you."

Silence.

And there was nothing more to say, really. Nothing at all.

So instead, Sakura settled her head on his neck, and let herself breathe in his scent, and let the silence of the moment wash over her. Consume her. Fill her.

"I love you, too, Sasuke."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"_I knew it! I knew my injury had a purpose in life—it brought the two of you together! TEME! SAKURA-CHAN! I can't believe it—FINALLY! After all that pent-up frustration and wanting—he finally stopped his idiocy and jumped you! Ahaha, don't bother hiding it—I'm a fox, I know what sex smells like! I also know what lust smells like, and you obviously can't wait to jump her again—just like Suigetsu here obviously can't wait to jump Karin-chan! I know he denies it, but I'm a smart, perceptive guy! Ahaha, it's okay, Sharkfreak, Karin-chan wants you too, even if she's dating Dogboy! Anyway, back to the teme and his obvious horny-bastard-issues—hey, wait! Hey, teme! Where are you going? Don't bring Sakura-chan with you! Ino-chan and Sakura-chan still have that naked bet to settle and Ino-chan will be naked and—TEME, STOP BEING HORNY AND COME BACK HERE! I'M SUPPOSED TO MAKE BABIES FIRST BECAUSE HINATA-CHAN AND I GOT TOGETHER AHEAD OF YOU! DON'T RUIN EVERYTHING! I'M SUPPOSED TO GET MARRIED AND MAKE BABIES FIRST!"_

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Juugo eyed Naruto yelling at the top of his lungs in his hospital bed, where he was covered in too-plenty bandages that didn't seem to deter him at all. Beside him sat a blushing Hinata. Beside Hinata stood a flushing Ino, and a slightly glaring Shikamaru. Across them, on the other side of the bed, was an uncomfortable Karin—and an equally uncomfortable Suigetsu (who was also glaring at Naruto), who had jumped practically four feet away from the redhead. In front of Naruto was Kiba—who was alternately glaring at both Naruto and Suigetsu. Leaning on the wall on the farthest side were Kakashi and Sai_—_one looking up from his orange book in interest, the other beaming in utmost (although still quite blank) satisfaction.

Juugo smiled, and settled more comfortably into his plump, wide visitor's chair.

Life was good.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

THE END.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_**a/n: **Oh, boy. I'm gonna miss this story. I hope the ending was good enough. I wrote half of it a month ago, but then my laptop got a virus and I wasn't able to save around 20% of the files and...this was one of them. So I had to rewrite it. I liked the first version better, but what the heck. Heh. I still have the stupid writer's block, and it took me nearly 24 hours to get this ending done. But I'm glad it's done. I'm sad that this story's ending, but glad too, that I actually got to finish it. :)_

_P.S. Happy reading! Reviews = love. Share some love, guys? :p_  
_P.P.S. This will probably be my last update for a while, as I'm leaving this May 8 to go review for my Board exams (it's a must for my course, or else I won't get a license). It's gonna last 6 months, so I can't update during that time - I have to concentrate on my studying, you see. Oh, God - it's making me nervous, to be honest. Gah. Wish me luck guys. Heh. Don't worry, though - I'll update again when it's all over (pass or fail).  
P.P.P.S. Seriously...thanks, guys. You all made making this story that much more worthwhile. :)_


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